Through the Eye of a Needle
by Dragon Dagger
Summary: A series of Vincent centric one shots as seen primarily through interaction with his seamstress. Post Dirge of Cerberus. Not told in chronological order.
1. Thread's Tale

Maiya sat at a table looking out the window in to the dark as she sipped her mixed drink in the newly rebuilt 7th Heaven bar. She didn't go out often but after having a day like she just had, she felt she owed it to herself to go out and unwind a little before she did something regrettable to the next customer she helped. Fortunately for her, it was the middle of the week, so things were relatively quiet in the bar. This suited her to a T as she swirled the last of her current drink around the bottom of the glass before knocking it back. "Tifa, another if you please." She called out, knowing that the younger woman had heard her and was already working on her drink.

Quiet nights in bars meant that even if you didn't want to, you could always overhear someone else's conversation if they weren't smart enough to hold their voices down below the general background noise of the music and other people eating and drinking. This was one of those nights that would end up proving to Maiya that she probably should have just stayed home and downed her own liquor.

"High and mighty bastard, who does he think he is tossing people around like that." Was the first of the conversation she had heard and as she had connections all over Midgar, she wondered who it was that they were talking about.

"He's a hero, with a god damned complex." Was the next comment she heard over the general din of the place and her dark eyebrows started to draw closer together as she started to focus her hearing a little more in the direction she was hearing these comments from, hoping that she would hear more now that her interest had been captured. A slight smile for Tifa as the woman brought her drink she payed for it and was left alone to continue her eavesdropping.

"Even Cloud's better than that asshole, at least you can talk to him unless he's focused on his delivery or in a fight." Ahhh here came the comparisons. Everyone knew who Cloud Strife was, and everyone knew that while the man was a bit of a loner, he was still fairly easy going and approachable.

"How the hell does Cloud work with that bastard, last time someone didn't do what he told them, they nearly had their feet shot off with that damned hand canon of his." The pieces as to who they were talking about were quickly starting to fall into place. This was someone she knew as she only knew precious few people that could handle a gun that could be termed a "Hand Canon". The fact that he worked with Cloud, and seemingly on a regular basis narrowed it down to only one person. One of her better customers actually.

Picking up her drink she headed over to the table where she had identified the people who were talking and found that it was nearly filled to capacity with miners, grunts and other people that had been saved those few years ago when the WRO took over and helped various cities start rebuilding after the incident with Sephiroth's rebirth. "You boys got room for another in this conversation?" She asked, her drink identifying her as someone who had been here for a bit, and possibly sympathetic to their cause.

They gestured to the one empty seat that was left at the larger of Tifa's tables and as she sat down she decided to confirm her guess as to who they were talking about. "You talking about Vincent Valentine right?"

"Yeah, Mel over there," And the man pointed to another that was just as grungy as he was before continuing, "Nearly got his foot shot off earlier today when he didn't move out of the bastard's way."around the table there were nods of agreement and some mutterings of just how much of a prick the man was.

Raising an eyebrow she was surprised that this had happened, but knowing the man as she did wondered if there wasn't more to the tale than was immediately being told. This bore investigation. "So you boys were working, minding your own business when he just walks up to you and tells you to move. You disagree with the instruction based on the fact that you are working and he just ups and shoots at you?"

"We had sidewalk duty today, and were trying to get the cement poured and stabilized so we could open it back up tomorrow for use when he did that." The men were starting to calm themselves, realizing that they were in the presence of a woman, and one that would probably wouldn't take too kindly to them being the roughshod asses they normally were while they were drinking.

Thinking furiously over her day she realized that these were the idiots that had caused the damage to the front of her shop, causing her to close early so that she could clean up the broken glass and repair what had already been done for her other customers without interruption. "You wouldn't have happened to have had sidewalk duty over in the millinery area of town would you?"

She carefully held down her supreme irritation with the lugs with years of practice in not showing just how pissed off she was to her customers who were being idiots to her. She had just gotten the affirmative that they had started something they couldn't finish, and were now pissed off over it. "Do you boys know what I do for a living, or why a person like myself would even be in 7th Heaven in the middle of the week?"

Now that the men thought about it, she was dressed far too well to be a general laborer which meant she was a specialist of some sort. Middle of the week drinking binge for them meant that something had gone horribly wrong in their day and they needed to unwind. They weren't complete idiots, just not skilled enough to gain positions as specialists themselves. "What is it that you do ma'am?" Mel asked, the woman across from him was not a looker by any stretch of the imagination, but there was something about her that glowed and made you warm up to her while in her presence.

"I'm a seamstress and leather-worker. Professional Grand Master level." With this she started winding up as her anger started to get he better of her. "You guys got into an argument with a man who was likely on his way to my shop to pick up something he had left with me to be repaired and in your drunken stupid minds thought he was being rude. Instead of knocking you around and leaving you to the elements he took the easy route and tried to scare you sober and away so that he could continue on unmolested. You couldn't leave it be and took even more offense and forced him to toss you lot around like a bunch of rocks. He didn't mean for it to happen, and ultimately I blame you for this, but your fight with him shattered the front window of my storefront. You never came in to apologize for the mess you made, or even to help clean it up. I now have a large board in front of my store where glass should be to keep the elements and stupid people out. I never have seen Vincent ever be late to pick up anything he's left with me in the entire time he's used my services. I would tell him when the repairs or the new items he'd request would be done and he would be there. You have not only made him late, but he's probably hunting you down now that he's seen the damage to my shop to have you taken in for damage to private property in your stupid vendetta."

"Now hold on there woman, Why should we be the only ones that have to apologize for that mess? Takes two to start a fight you know." The men were looking very angry and while they were still in their seats, Maiya knew that she was pushing buttons, still, there was the larger, much angrier part of her that didn't care.

Looking around the table with anger flashing in her blue gray eyes she explained. "You won't be the only ones apologizing. I know that as soon as I open up tomorrow morning, hangover or no, Vincent will be there to pick up his things, and he will offer his apologies without me saying a word about it. The man's a gentleman, kind to those in need, apologetic to those he's wronged. Every item he's brought to me for repairs or to have me make for him has a story about him to be told. I listen and read those stories like most would read a book. I do that with everything brought to me. The work clothes of the honest hard laborer who is feeding his family. The clothes of the soldier that fights to keep the peace and to help rebuild what was once lost. The poor, sick, loved and dying all have stories to tell through their clothing, and I help them where I can to ensure they have those clothes longer."

The men around the table were starting to realize that this was indeed a craft mistress talking, and that this was one argument that they weren't going to win. "So why does he chose your store to have his things fixed instead of so many other craft masters that are here in town?"

"Because she can read my story, and does not judge me for the choices I've made." The soft deadly calm voice from the corner behind Maiya and out of the shadows Vincent's form appeared. "I had stopped by your shop later this evening to pay for the damages to your shop and pick up my things. You weren't there, so I asked around. It wasn't too hard to find you here, and your arguments have been refreshing. Thank you." Vincent looked down at the shorter woman as she stood and made a slight bow, as she would to any of her customers.

Looking around the table, her posture and eyes screamed 'See! This man is nothing like you think.' before she turned back to Vincent. "I had thought that I might see you here, as Tifa is one of your friends, so I brought it with me."

Walking back over to her table she picked up a thick paper wrapped parcel that had stayed unmolested in her time visiting the workers and with a slight smile that she always had for her customers, especially her frequent ones, she handed it over to the taller man. His clawed gauntlet carefully untied the twine she normally sealed her parcels with and as the paper fell away everyone in the bar could see something in black that was obviously new.

"Excellent work, as always." Was all he said, knowing that she would not accept any more than that as praise for her work, especially after all the treks he had made and the ones that ended in her shop. "Here, this should be enough to replace your storefront window, and pay for your work." A small wallet was brought out and handed over to the woman who accepted it and did a swift count of its contents.

"More than enough, come by tomorrow morning and I will give you your change." A slight bow from the woman, and a nod of Vincent's head closed the deal. It was late, and now that she had vented her anger some, she now felt the normal tired creeping up on her. "Tifa, I'm leaving for the night. I'll catch up with you another time."

The woman waved from the bar where she was serving a new group of people that had come in. Most of the regulars didn't bother to stare at Vincent. They knew who he was in relation to the bar owner and so it was not unusual to them that he was here. Those that weren't as familiar with the group looked at the taller man before returning to their drinks. A fight had been brewing but had been brought to a short halt by his appearance, that they didn't have to leave because the bar closed for repairs was all they cared about.

The next morning there was a solid rapping on her store front door long before she was due to open. Wondering just who would have the gall to come this early she finished getting dressed before going down the stairs out of her loft apartment and answered the door. To her great surprise there were all of the men that had been at the table last night as she had vented about their idiocy, everyone of them with their hats in their hands. "Craft Mistress Maiya, we've come to apologize, and to help replace your storefront window." Mel spoke up from his place at the front of the pack.

Raising an eyebrow Maiya wondered how they had gone from drunk and stupid to humbled so quickly, though she had a rather good idea. "How are you going to do that, I haven't even ordered the window glass yet."

"This was delivered this morning, we're going to help install it for you." looking around the corner she saw a security frame outside her door holding a very large pane of glass. As she cracked the boards that were preventing damage to the middle she saw that it was already lettered in the most beautiful red and gold script lettering she had wanted but could never afford before.

Blinking, with a hint of tears in her eyes she looked at the men before her. "Damage this and you'll wish I had sicced Vincent on you. I'm going back upstairs to finish my morning and I hope to see you all hard at work when I come back down." She wasn't truly angry with the men anymore. They had apologized and had even come to help replace the glass that had been shattered the day before. This had atoned for their crimes and she was willing to let it go the moment they were done and the work confirmed.

Once she was up in her apartment she pulled out a project she had been working on for months. This was something no one knew of and was going to be a special gift. Now it had even more meaning as she knew somehow that Vincent had gotten the glass makers to rush the order on the lettering. Store front window glass was common enough, but it was the cutting to size, and lettering that made orders take as long as they did. Hopefully this gift would be accepted as a thanks for the favor done. 


	2. First Meeting

Maiya had just finished skinning the leather off her latest kill when she heard something else crash nearby. She had taken a week long trek into the forests around Midgar to collect leather, scales and hides to work with. As a craft mistress she had to know how to hunt what she needed. As a dual specialist she had to know where to find what all she needed to keep her shop open and thriving.

Moving over to the forest edge of the clearing she was in she had her compound bow out and loaded in case it was something that would try to make a meal of her. As she looked around she saw nothing until a soft, almost inaudible groan of pain made her look up into the branches of the low trees and she saw the red and black that stood out against the green and brown. Looking around carefully to ensure that there was nothing in the nearby trees that was waiting to make a meal of the person up there she put her arrow back in her quiver and clipping her bow to the quick release holster she kept with her for hunting she started to climb.

Vincent felt pain, he had been on what was supposed to be a quick in and out reconnaissance mission to get some information about a group that was supposedly going to try and overthrow the WRO. What he had walked into was a trap and having barely survived the explosion he had taken all the information he could about the place with him and retreated as fast as his wounds would let him. He was about a day's march from Midgar now and nearly out of stamina to continue on when he heard the sharp snap thunk of a bow string being released and an arrow finding its target. Barely turning his head from his position in the tree his still sharp vision caught the sight of a woman who was in the process of starting to skin what looked to be one of the lesser denizens of the forest for its scaly hide. Continuing to watch, and hoping that he would remain undisturbed until he had time to heal he shifted again and swore to himself when it caused smaller twigs to break off and fall to the ground, gaining the woman's attention.

Watching her he noticed that she took no chances. It seemed that she understood that despite regular patrols in this area, there were still dangers that could and would eat a person that was caught unawares. As she carefully approached the edge of the forest he was resting in, he also noticed that she was not tall, and that her dark auburn hair was pulled back in a simple braid that fell to her belt. Most of her clothes were made of soft leathers that made little to no sound as she moved or of well worn yet sturdy cloths also made to fit close to her body to stay out of her way as she shot and to minimize any noise she made as she moved.

There was no more time for observation as he pulled one of his still burned patches of skin against the rough bark of the tree. He had tried to stifle the sound he made but it still made its way past his lips. Whomever had set that trap knew what it would take to put him down for a while. He hated it but Cloud was going to give him an "I told you so" when he got back for not taking a Cure materia with him. It was however also too late to do anything about not being found as the woman below him had seen his cloak and was now steadily making her way up the tree to his position.

When Maiya reached the position of the man in the tree she took one look at him and her eyes widened in horror. He was torn up something awful and he had to be in a great deal of pain. "How in the world did you get up here with those injuries?" Was the first question out of her mouth, her horror speaking before her brain.

The question and the look on her face actually made the man smile slightly. However he hurt too much to answer her as he knew if he started to try and speak, his pain would speak for him. Shaking his head slightly to ward off her questions, and hopefully her self he looked off in another direction willing his body's natural healing to work faster.

The thoughts flew through her mind and grabbing the small pack off her back that hung just below the clip for her bow she pulled out some water and some first aid supplies. Seeing that she had this man's attention again she explained. "You're hurt, and in the wilds still. Even if you don't want my help, I can't let you stay here without it." Taking one of the thicker cloths she poured some water on it before disassembling the straps on his cloak.

Vincent had seen the look in the woman's blue gray eyes before in the other women he'd met. There was going to be no stopping her, and she honestly wanted to help him. Instead of fighting her, he relaxed as much as was possible and didn't fight the fact that he was being undressed by a strange woman out in the middle of nowhere.

Moving carefully Maiya balanced herself on the branch and once she got the mantle off of the man stared at the face that had been hidden by it. He was beautiful. Damaged by combat and whatever else of course at the moment, but what had been protected by the mantle of his cloak was revealed to be without flaw. Shaking her head and mentally slapping herself she picked up the wet cloth and started to cleanse the burned skin that hadn't been protected by the mantle. Instead of rubbing she merely patted the skin, making sure as she did that nothing broke away, or damaged as she did and also making sure that the dirt and grime that had been imbedded into the burned skin had started to come out and stuck to the cloth instead. "I'm sorry."

Deep red eyes blinked in surprise as they processed the apology. "For what?" His voice, slightly smokey with disuse the the last day or so and dehydrated was deeper than he could recall, even after he had come out of his 30-some-odd year sleep.

"This will hurt to clean, and if any of your clothing is stuck to your wounds, it will really hurt to separate it." Her eyes mirrored her apology, as she paused in her cleaning to offer him a sip of her canteen to help him clear his voice.

"I will be fine." And he would be. But he also realized that this woman was helping him because she wanted to, not because she had to. There was nothing more he could really do to help her understand who or what he really was.

Maiya looked deep into his eyes, looking for something that would help her to see that he really would be fine before she nodded and continued both speaking and cleaning. It was while she was talking that he realized that she was keeping her voice quiet, and it had a slightly smokey quality of its own that he knew cleared out when she was speaking normally. She didn't want the forest denizens to find them or hunt them. Not when she or he were this vulnerable.

"My name is Maiya, I was out here hunting for specific hides and leathers for my shop back in Midgar when you broke cover." Both voice and touch were gentle, as she did her level best to separate his clothing from his burned skin without causing him undue pain. "I'm a seamstress and leather-worker by trade and while I can normally get what I need from the hunters and traders that come through town on a regular basis, sometimes I get special orders, or get ideas of things to make that require components or materials that I don't have and can't readily get without going out myself."

While she was working on his clothing she had managed to get his cloak completely separated from him and it was now hanging behind her with its mantle off the branch. She was now working on his shirt and Vincent noticed that even though she was taking care not to do damage to him while she was working on his burns, she was also noting how his clothing was put together, the stitching and its design and material. That it had taken this long for him to notice her own inspection raised his impression of her professional skill several notches.

By the time she was done, he was in nothing but his underwear and deeply impressed with her level of professionalism. Unlike just about every other woman he had come across, she had done exactly as she had told him and no more. And she had plenty of opportunities to feel him up in the process. He also found that with his wounds completely exposed to open air they were starting to heal faster despite the chilly winds that were now starting to blow through the twilight of the day.

Looking at the man she was nursing for the better part of a couple of hours she gave an apologetic smile. "I don't have enough bandages to completely cover your wounds, but I do have enough to help prevent infection in the worst of them until you get to a Cure materia."

Her light, unassuming chatter had prevented Vincent from thinking of most of the pain that he had been in when she had to move him around to help undress him, and it gave him much more information about the woman than he had originally thought he'd get. He now knew where he shop was, small anecdotes about her family, her life before and after Sephiroth's rebirth, how she came to her trade and her ranks in it. Small things that added up to so much, yet she never inquired of him nor did she demand to know anything more than if one position hurt him more than another. "You've been kind to me. I thank you." His voice less smokey, but still quiet and calm.

From there he was bandaged and she again helped him to dress, her face easily showing her opinion for the state of his clothing. "These need to be fixed or better yet, replaced completely. I hope you have talent with a needle." Was her blunt critique as she helped him to recover himself. Between the salves that were covering the burns and cuts, the bandages covering the worst of them, as well as his clothing he found himself feeling much better. Maiya had even let him finish off the last of her canteen telling him that she knew this area well and would be able to refill it soon. "You seem to be someone that can take care of himself in this forest. Go to Midgar, get healed up, there's got to be someone waiting up for you and I'll bet they won't take it all too well if you get back in all banged up like you are."

It was the only comment she had made about his potential social life and it had taken him by surprise. Instead, he nodded his thanks, and took off, his speed hindered by his wounds but not enough that he wouldn't make it back to Midgar yet tonight.

Two days later healed completely, debriefed, and dressed in his spare outfit, Vincent found himself in the millinery area of town, looking over the store front glass that advertised 'Maiya's Sewing and Leather-Working' in basic block print. It wasn't the most elegant text style, but it served its purpose and with a slight smile he entered. 


	3. Growth

The bell above the door chimed annoyingly for what seemed to be the several hundredth time that day. Looking up from her sewing machine she had long since mastered the art of hiding her frustration and irritation from the world around her. However both she, and the man that had just stepped into her shop found it rather amusing that she couldn't hide anything from him. He read her moods and mannerisms just like she read the stories told by the rents and repair needs in his clothing. Neither bothered to try and hold back any more now that they knew how to read each other. Unless they were playing games and today Maiya was in no mood for games of any sort.

"What hole, rend, tear, shred, or disintegration have you done this time?" Her voice was just short of a growl and not only did it bring Vincent up short, it caused an eyebrow to try and disappear into his bandanna. However he knew that she would talk about it eventually, she always did. So he handed her his rent shirt, the seams of the sleeves at the shoulders having torn loose in several places.

Looking at the shirt and then back up at the taller man she raised her own eyebrow and asked. "I reinforced those seams for a reason, how the hell did you pop them like that?"

Hearing that the seams had been reinforced and shouldn't have popped like they had made Vincent wince internally at what he was going to have to tell her. She knew most of his story already just from their short conversations and from his clothing. That she had no clue as to how this happened meant that he was going to have to tell her one more of his secrets and hope that she reacted like she had for the rest of the ones she had learned.

"You have a story for me, I can see the debate in your eyes Vincent Valentine." Stepping around her machine and the tables that made up the work area of her shop her passage drew his eyes to what she had previously told him was her "In Box". He now had a good idea as to what was making her cranky today as the rack for today was not just full, but had things piled across the top to the other racks as well. He heard the lock on the door snap into place and as he turned to see what was going on noticed that she was putting up her out to lunch sign.

"Come on up, I'll make something to eat and drink for the both of us and you can tell me just what it is that you did to yourself that caused those seams to pop." Moving through her apartment living room to the open kitchen area she let Vincent settle himself before presenting him with a cup of tea. Satisfied that he'd be ok for the short term she headed back to the kitchen, knowing that he was watching her. He always did.

Comfortable silence filled the apartment as Maiya moved around with common efficiency to make a few sandwiches and pulled out some salad makings before setting them both up with a plate of food each. She always brought the first plate out to him, but seconds were his responsibility. In a way it was her own way of keeping tabs on how well he was doing and if he was keeping up with himself. After they both had a chance to eat and watch the other, Vincent was the one to break the silence. "This falls under the same rules as everything else I've told you about my life." His eyes boring into her as she nodded, knowing that despite her light response, she was taking this seriously now that he'd gotten her attention.

It was a short time later that she discovered that her customer was very much beyond human, yet so human it disgusted her at how he had been treated in the past. To have the strength of will and mind to hold at bay no less than four demonic entities that would have taken over his body and used its enhanced abilities for nothing good was nothing short of heroic in her mind and she said as much. Seeing that he didn't believe her, despite the fact that they had been nothing but honest with each other up to this point she shot a frustrated look at him and pulled one of her votive holders over to her before holding it out to him. "Is this a votive holder, or the candle it's holding?"

Immediately seeing what she meant his eyes warmed some, the slight smile he gave her erasing the look of frustration on her face. "How is it that you've become so exceptionally understanding?" It was a frequent question from him, and it had the same answer every time.

"I take the time to actually learn from my mistakes." Except this time Maiya elaborated some, giving Vincent yet once more insight into the mind of his seamstress. "I once lost someone very dear to me because I couldn't look past something that had happened to them." Changing the subject she held up the shirt that he now realized she had brought up to the loft with them. "Now that I know what happened, I can make this so you don't lose the fabric of the shirt again should you ever be pushed to transform. It won't be that hard to add a panel of fabric to the side seams and then close them up with break away seam work so that it fits as your shirts should fit you when you're this size, but it will give you greater strength in the arm seams when they break away when you change to fit your larger form."

Vincent was uncertain as to how this would exactly work, but knew that she could do what she said and he would feel no difference in the clothing. All he was worried about was when he'd get the shirt back. "How long?"

Picking up the shirt Maiya headed for the door to the stairway and Vincent followed knowing that now that they were starting to talk business, their time for visiting was over. "Minimum of three weeks Vincent."

The time quoted caused the man to blink. Normally she had his clothing back to him within days of his arrival. "Why three weeks?"

"Because I need to take the shirt apart and reassemble it. But that has to be done in the order it was received and in case you hadn't noticed, I've been exceptionally busy today." Her voice took on a note of exasperation before she put the shirt down on her work table and reopened her shop.

"I see. What would you charge to get it back in a few days?" The question was reasonable considering he really was limited on his clothing. It reminded him that he should probably order a couple more shirts at the very least from her. Preferably when she isn't so busy that she's popping off at him.

"Rush order's are charged double." By this time she was back behind her sewing machine and running full speed when one or the other of them were not speaking. It was a talent that Vincent found himself admiring as she was quite capable of knowing exactly when she needed to stop and set the stitching at the end of a line without looking right at it. He knew however that he has several skills that she respected greatly as well so they got along well respecting the other's skills and while it happened rarely, the occasional trodding on each other's toes in their conversations over their respective skills and professions was blunted by the understanding that it was never intentional.

Vincent thought about his finances and then nodded. He needed his clothes and he could afford to short himself a trip out to eat to cover it. "Please do so then."

"Three days then. I'll see you that afternoon." Standing she tagged the pants she had just finished patching and folded them over before putting them in the finished rack with their claim ticket before writing up one for Vincent and his shirt. Putting the shirt at the bottom of the three day pile which was mercifully short she smiled and walked him to the door. Despite how her day was going, her friend was a breath of fresh air, and today had been an unexpected surprise for them both. 


	4. Miss Interpretation

It was Friday night and after a long week of what she felt were insane customers she felt she had earned some time off and so she took herself out to eat, enjoyed a short play and now she found herself at the bar of Tifa's 7th Heaven. Between the younger woman running out to serve drinks, they chatted about this and that, sometimes the conversation returning to what Tifa felt was the older woman's strange friendship with Vincent.

"So he's a customer, a friend, sometimes you talk about your lives past and present, and you two met while he was injured and you were out on a hunting trip?" Tifa reiterated mostly for Yuffie's benefit while chattering with the woman.

"You know that's right. Why are you so bent on giving me the third degree tonight about him?" Maiya hid a reminiscent smile behind her glass as she knocked back the last of her drink before ordering a water. Looking at Yuffie she saw that she was under intense scrutiny. "Something wrong Yuffie?"

Shaking her head she grinned. "Nothing really, just wondering if you two are ever going to go out on a real date."

Maiya slapped a hand over her mouth as she pulled her glass away to prevent herself from drenching the hostess in what would have been a classic spit take. "What?! Where in the world did you get the idea that Vincent and I were interested in each other like that?"

Yuffie started counting off the reasons while ticking off fingers. "One, you and him are always talking to each other after he comes back from a mission. Two, he's told you things I don't think he's told us willingly. Three, I don't think anyone else would stand up for him the way you do save for those of us inside our little group of heroes. Four, have you two seen the way you look at each other?" Looking triumphant she looked over at Tifa who was also thinking over the evidence and she too was starting to get the smile on her face that boded no good to anyone.

Maiya chuckled as she handed over her water glass and ordered another drink. Glancing at the two she knew they thought they had her cornered so she shook her hair back over her shoulders and with a smirk looked at the two, well prepared to poke holes in their attack. "One, Of course we're always talking when he comes back from a mission. If the WRO is dumb enough to send him out on the most dangerous, stupidest missions they can find, he's going to come back with mangled clothing, which in turn I have to repair in short order. Two, some of the things he's told me in confidence were so I could maintain his clothing properly. Others I read from the clothing itself. Three, he's one of my closest friends. He's been nothing but kind and generous to me and if some rat bastard wants to bad mouth him behind his back, well I'll be the one to see that it stops. Four, how do we look at each other? for all I know you're misreading the situation since Vincent and I know each other well enough by now that sometimes silence is a better conversation. You're a ninja, don't tell me you haven't learned the art of reading body language as conversation." The smirk that appeared when Yuffie blushed and lowered her eyes was deftly hidden by her drink glass as Maiya glanced over at Tifa who seemed a bit amused and slightly surprised at the verbal jab at her friend.

"But, but! I know what I see, and you two have it BAD for each other." Yuffie came out of her self imposed embarrassment to forward her opinion one more time. This time however Tifa chimed in.

"It does look like the two of you have something... More, going on than just friendship." The bar mistress smiled as the seamstress simply stared at her over the rim of her drink as if she'd lost her mind.

"Have you been drinking your own products Tifa, or do I just have something crazy in my ear? 'Cause I thought I just heard you agree with Miss Hyper-bot here that you both think that Vincent and I are more than friends." Maiya ignored the protest at the nickname from Yuffie while she looked Tifa in the eye, looking for an answer for what was going on between the two women. Shaking her head she knocked back a large portion of her drink without stopping causing both women to go wide-eyed at the performance.

This act however gave her the few moments needed to pull together what she knew about the other women that they knew the others in their little clique didn't know, yet. "So what about you Yuffie? You just sparring buddies with Rude, or you got a little something more going on after practice?" Catching the woman as she was stuttering her denial that there was nothing going on while her face turned several shades of red that had yet to be invented, Maiya turned to look at Tifa, "What about you. Join the Mile High club with Cid or are those flying lessons going to waste?"

Smirking into her drink she let the other two that had been picking on her see her amusement as she turned their game around on them neatly, without drawing the attention of the crowd in the bar. Seeing that the two were ready to loudly voice their denials she spoke up after swallowing the last of her drink. "Quietly ladies. The last thing any of us need is the city gossip mill talking about this because they over heard us teasing each other at the bar."

"But.. But..." Yuffie spluttered trying to argue her way out of the bag she was in.

"You started it, if you wanted to have a gossip session about our personal lives you should have come over to my place while my shop was closed on the weekend and we could have been noisy as I have no neighbors." Maiya pointed out bluntly.

Tifa smiled and nodded her head seeing the out for what it was. "All right. We'll come over next weekend then a few hours before I have to open 7th Heaven and we can have a Girl Talk then. We'll also keep in mind that you debate rather viciously and are not above embarrassing the daylights out of us to win an argument." Tifa chuckled self deprecatingly.

Maiya shrugged. "If you're willing to bring up my social life, or lack there of in a social setting where it doesn't belong, then I'll do the same to you. So long as you play nice, I will too." Her mild demeanor turned into a shark eating grin that made the other two nervous and made Yuffie especially wonder if it was such a good idea to hound her about that topic of conversation.

Paying up her tab, Maiya waved to the two and made her way out the door, saying goodbyes and good nights to others she knew as she went. Yuffie and Tifa watched her go and looked at each other with mild trepidation. "You think we should leave her along about this?" Yuffie asked. Both thought about it for a moment and with grins replied in unison, looking forward to the next weekend's Girl Talk. "NAH!" 


	5. Almost

It had turned into a weekly ritual. Close up shop, go out to eat, catch a short play or a movie if there was something good to see in town and then head on over to the 7th Heaven for a few drinks to unwind. The company was good and when Vincent was in town he would, more often than not, join her. Conversations on those nights were usually enlightening and sometimes intense as they would find a topic they couldn't agree on but could respect each other's view points and debate the night away over drinks, water, and coffee.

Tonight however she was sitting at her single table by the window alone unwinding from another week of prom drama queens and their mothers who think that their little darlings can do no wrong and absolutely must be dressed in singular fashion. As such, she was in no mood to talk to any one or even be reasonably civil other than to order her drinks and Tifa recognized her scowl and after hearing "Prom Season" from the woman said nothing more than to confirm drink orders and carefully watched the woman get completely trashed instead of lightly buzzed.

Dark leather pants hugged her hips and thighs close before flaring out slightly at the calf to allow for boots. The studded close woven belt looked to be made of several different colored leathers tanned thick and sliced thin to allow for a tight weave to hold the studs in place and wear well. Her top was a combination of a loose woven off shoulder cream colored top, held in place by a mahogany colored scaled under-bust corset. The total effect of the outfit was stunning when put together with blue gray eyes that looked more blue than gray tonight due to the smokey effects of her make-up and dark lip stick, while her hair was pulled up from its normal braid into two braids that coiled neatly around her head like a crown.

Tifa felt sorry for all the men that approached the woman and ended up walking away alone tonight. Maiya was in a hell of a mood and while she seemed to be mellowing out some as she started to feel the effects of the alcohol she was drinking, it didn't change the fact that she was flatly turning down every male that approached her, be it for a drink, a dance or more. Turning to her next customer she smiled. "How can I help you?"

"That woman over there, I want to get her a drink." Tifa looked at the man carefully and then over in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough he was pointing at Maiya.

"That's not such a good idea. Buy yourself a drink, it'll be easier on you." Tifa suggested, hoping the man would take her suggestion.

"Why?"

"She ignores the drinks the men buy for her. She's in a hell of a mood tonight. Believe me when I say tonight's not a good night to try and sweet talk her." Tifa was trying to warn him off, save him some trouble. However he seemed to be one of the stubborn ones. She wasn't going to say no to money spent at her bar, she just hoped that he understood what he was getting into.

"She won't ignore me." Tifa looked at him as if to say 'Yeah right', "Get her one of what she's been drinking."

"You want me to tell her who ordered it?" Tifa always asked this, sometimes the guy wanted to tell the lady himself, sometimes they wanted to let the bartender be the ice breaker.

"You can." He put the money on the counter before she even asked for it and with that done she went to make the drink. There was a nice tip to go with it so she was done trying.

Walking over to Maiya she waited till the latest contender fer her attention for sent away with a flat "Go away, you bother me." Before stepping up to the table with the drink. "I didn't order this."

"No, he did." Tifa pointed and watched as the woman sighed and pushed the drink to the far edge of the table and continued with hers.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Oh, I'll be needing another when you come back around." Maiya tilted her glass to emphasize her point and then pointed to her nearly empty glass of water too.

"You bet." Taking the rejected drink she headed back to the bar, picking up drink orders on the way as well as empty glasses and dishes for the kitchen.

As Tifa returned to Maiya with her drinks, dropping off other orders along the way, she noticed that the longer and heavier than usual night of drinking was starting to really hit her older friend. "Maiya, maybe you should slow down a little on the drinks. Start on some coffee maybe?"

The woman looked up her eyes slightly glassed over, but still focusing well as she shook her head. "In a bit Tifa. I've just had the week from hell, I really don't want to remember it despite the fact that I undoubtedly will with the hangover I'll have come morning."

"Well at least you're drinking water with your drinks, so it won't be as bad as some of these yahoos." With a parting smile Tifa left again with the empty glasses and headed back to the bar with several new orders and knew that some at the bar would be waiting for her as well.

It was closing time by the time Maiya left, harassed and irritable. The bar was still in one piece however as the seamstress was not a fighter, and Tifa seemed to know when things were starting to get out of hand in her corner of the bar. However she was barely able to stagger out into the night to walk home and had declined a cab to get home. Tifa was not overly worried until she saw the man who had been watching her all night get up and leave right after. It was at that point her worry went into overdrive. Grabbing her phone she dialed the only number she could think of that would be in town tonight.

At three in the morning most people would ignore their phone ringing. Vincent was not one of those people. If his phone was ringing at three AM then something was happening that needed his attention NOW. Picking up he voiced his attention, "Yes?"

"Thank god you're home. Maiya was in tonight, but she didn't just have a few drinks like normal. She's totally wasted. She's walking home barely able to stagger out my door and some guy just followed her out. He's been watching her all night and I'm not able to follow her cause I'm still closing up the bar."

Vincent listened to the quick run down of what was happening with growing worry, Maiya was no light weight in drinking, and for her to have been drinking till closing time would have indicated an exceptionally bad week. "I'll find her and get her home." Hanging up with nothing more said he shot out the door as fast as possible, taking the fastest routes to the bar and then roof hopping along Maiya's route home hoping that nothing had happened to the woman.

He had just over shot the alley she was in when she screamed in fear of her captor. Letting his momentum bleed out in a sliding stop he ran back to the edge of the building he was on and when he looked down he saw RED. Maiya was now on the ground passed out in drunken haze while the man kneeling over her was preparing to rape her in the cold shadowy alley. Letting his voice boom out he threatened. "I wouldn't do that were I you."

Vincent let an unseen smile grace his face as he noted that the man startled and fell over as his pants around his knees tripped him up. "W-who's there?"

Dropping down into the alley Vincent let his full presence be known. "That was not a smart move you made." His voice back down to it deadly calm tones. He was furious really, but there was nothing he could do save for knocking the man out and turning him over to the authorities with his crimes and making sure that Maiya got home. Decision made he lashed out with his left hand clipping the man across the side of his head with a harsh back fist, knocking him out easily before seeing to it that Maiya was uninjured.

This was fortunately the case. The scaled corset and leather pants she liked to wear on her nights out proved to be too much of a hindrance to the man he just knocked out so she was only drunk and passed out from fear and alcohol. Pulling out his cell phone he called Tifa back letting her know that things were for the moment all right. Tifa asked where he was and offered to take the man into the authorities for him while he got Maiya home. This was agreed on and while he waited he picked his friend up off the cooler ground and wrapped her now shivering body in his cloak close to him, hoping to warm her back up some.

Vincent was starting to get impatient when Tifa finally showed up with one of her bouncers in tow. "I brought him with me in case mister personality here decided to wake up and try something stupid." Nodding to the pair and seeing that they had the situation covered he turned out of the alley and prepared to leave.

"If I am needed for a statement, you know where I will be." Tifa nodded, after a scare like this she knew her sometimes partner, mostly friend wouldn't be anywhere save for inside Maiya's apartment for the rest of the night and into the morning to make sure the woman was ok. If she wasn't, they'd all know about it within short order.

Shortly afterward Vincent was at the shop digging the keys out of Maiya's small purse. entering and locking up behind him he quickly made for the apartment upstairs and settled the woman on the couch until he could figure out just what to do with her. She couldn't stay in her clothes, yet after a night like tonight it would be better if he didn't undress her for bed. Deciding on a midpoint he turned down the bed so that it would be ready and then thanked every deity out there that he had payed attention to how the corsets on her dressmakers dummies were laced up, unlacing her just enough to let her breath some, he turned her back over and started to unhook the clasps that held the thing together in front, being very careful not to jostle her into wakefulness as he figured that would bring on questions at the top of her voice.

Finally he got the corset off of her and took her boots and socks off. Unbuttoning her pants he left them and her loose top on and covered her up to let her sleep through the rest of the night. Fortunately it was the weekend now and she did not have to open shop the next morning so that was one less worry, however the potential for the local authorities arriving in the morning were pretty good so he'd have to stay up and make sure she wasn't disturbed until she woke of her own volition. Closing the door most of the way so he could keep a sharp ear out for any sounds of distress, he went to the kitchen and prepared himself some tea to wait out the night.

Morning came with the sun bright and full in the apartment save for the bedroom where the blinds were well closed. Vincent was still sitting at the kitchen table one leg crossed over the other watching the sun come up and listening for anything that might be wrong in the building. It was mid-morning now and there was still no sign of Maiya waking up in the bedroom and about an hour before Vincent had gotten up and checked on his friend to see that she was ok.

Another hour had passed when Vincent heard knocking on the door to the shop downstairs. Not wanting to disturb Maiya just yet he quickly moved to answer and found a couple of officers from the local precinct at the door. "Vincent Valentine?"

Noting badges and their numbers he nodded and let the men into the shop before moving to stand between them and the stairway to the apartment upstairs. "Can I help you?"

"Miss Lockheart came into the station last night with someone she claims assaulted one of her customers on the way home. From her account the man followed her from the 7th Heaven bar where she called you from and you intercepted him before he could do more than assault her. She informed us of your location and that this is where you would likely be as you would be watching over your friend since she wasn't injured. We just need to take a statement from you and Miss Hattori." The police were watching carefully as Tifa had told the previous shift very specifically that Vincent would be very careful with his friend since she had been attacked and to be anything less than honest with him would have him turning them out the door in short order.

Vincent was also watching the police carefully for truth, lies or absence of either as they told their story. He was satisfied with what he heard and gestured for them to sit in the vacant chairs in the shop before taking one up himself. "I'll give my statement down here to give Maiya a little more time to wake on her own. If she is not up by the time you are done with me I'll go get her for you."

The two officers thought that this sounded plenty fair as the woman had been through a hard night and a traumatic incident, letting her sleep a little longer wasn't going to hurt them any. It took them all of thirty minutes to take Vincent's statement and ask the necessary questions to clarify the points he had thought he had made clear the first time around. By the time they were done, He was slightly irritable with the whole rigamarole and was very ready to be done with it all. But he had Maiya to think of and asking the officers to wait he moved noiselessly up the stairs to get her presentable.

The first thing Maiya saw when she came into the conscious world was Vincent's face within arms reach as he gently shook her shoulder to wake her up. The first thought through her head was 'Dear god make the pain stop.' The first audible sound from here was a groan that indicated that the person uttering it was in no way shape or form ready to rejoin the waking world. Unfortunately any hope of going back to sleep was shattered by Vincent's quiet voice informing her of the situation in her shop.

Nodding slightly to show that she understood what she was being told, if only barely, she managed to stumble out of her bed and into the adjoining bathroom, not caring what state Vincent saw her in, or the fact that he was in her apartment at all, instead only caring that there was a hot shower waiting for her to help her regain any state of coherency needed to deal with the police downstairs.

Vincent left the moment he heard the water start running to inform the officers that she would be down when she was ready, and not before. Then promptly disappeared back up the stairs to make some of the coffee that she seemed to favor in the mornings versus the tea in the afternoons. Deciding that making it a little stronger than what the instructions called for wouldn't go amiss, he started up some toast and hoped that the light breakfast would be something appreciated by the hung over woman before she had to deal with anything even resembling an authority figure.

When Maiya came out of her bedroom dressed for the day and looking much more coherent the first question out of her mouth as she saw Vincent puttering around her kitchen putting the toast on a plate and coffee in a mug for her was. "You stayed with me last night didn't you?"

Vincent looked up at her curiosity in his eyes, "I didn't think you'd mind, especially after what happened." His voice was somehow smoother than usual, taking the sting out of the reminder that something truly horrific could have happened to her had Vincent not been there for her.

"How did you know?" Residual fear warred with curiosity, pain from her hangover, and the desire to glance around to make sure no one else was there with them in her apartment.

"Tifa was looking after you last night. She watched the man follow you and she called me concerned that something would happen. It almost did." The last was as close to condemnation for her irresponsibility as he would come for the moment.

This was enough to shake loose the entire cascade of memories of what happened beyond her drunk induced haze of the night before and the memories scared her white. Vincent noted the drastic change in her color and swiftly guided her to her seat before she collapsed. "Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god." The mantra was repeated a few more times as Vincent became concerned in her sharp increase in respiration and the widening of her eyes that weren't seeing what was in the room.

"Maiya!" The sharply spoken word startled the woman as she had never heard Vincent speak in such sharp tones before and also drew her out of her near hysterics. "Maiya, you are home, and safe. The man that wanted to rape you is in jail and if you work with the police who are downstairs, he will not be allowed to walk freely without supervision for a long time. But first, you need to eat and have something to drink." His more forceful tones backed down into the calming pitch she was more used to. The one that told her that she was absolutely safe and that no one would harm her so long as he was near.

"You will come down with me?" Maiya's eyes darted to the man sitting across the table from her, the only one in the building she trusted at this point in time.

Vincent could see the residual fear there, and the consequences of the scare she'd had. It would take her a while to regain her self confidence again, but it would happen with some effort on her part. Maybe he could ask Tifa to give her some lessons in self defense so that this would be less likely to happen again in the future? In the mean time he watched as his friend finished off her toast and coffee and looking as awake and put together as she was going to get for having an extremely bad night indicated she was ready for the day ahead of her. Together they went downstairs to move her towards the next step of her new future. 


	6. Sick and Tired

The first thing that greeted Maiya as she entered the large house was a resounding sneeze that sounded like it had come from somewhere in the vicinity of the upstairs. Calling out she hoped she was wrong about her guess as to what had happened to her friend to make him disappear as he had. "Vincent, you home?"

The voice that came back was not the soothing tones she had been accustomed to in the last few years but was a ragged bass voice telling her, "Go away Maiya."

"Like hell." She muttered to herself as she grabbed her basket that she had brought with her in case this had happened and made her way up the stairs from the entry to the master bedroom. Knocking on the door she called out, "You'd better be decent Vincent because I'm coming in whether you want me to or not."

Inside the room Vincent smiled slightly at the demand knowing that she would follow through. The others in his combat group were always amazed at the liberties he allowed her, but they didn't understand the depth of their friendship, or how they had come to be so close over the years. The door cracked open enough for her to peek through to confirm that he was indeed decent for her, not that it would matter any to either of them, but it was a courtesy that they extended to each other that they didn't just barge in unless one or the other thought it was an emergency.

Seeing the pale man flushed red with fever laid out in bed with dead tissues on the floor since the waste basket was full was enough to tell her what had happened. "Vincent Valentine why didn't you call me? I would have been happy to come over and help you out and you wouldn't have worried your other friends needlessly by dropping off the map like that."

His body hurt, his head was aching, any more light in the room and his eyes would explode and yet through all of this, the sound of her voice quietly chiding him for his thoughtlessness was probably the best thing he had heard all day above the ringing in his ears and the traffic outside. It made him smile slightly as he leaned back against the pillows he had propped up for himself. "You are here now, so what will you be doing?"

"Its sick season and everyone's been coming down with one bug or another this year. I figured you'd be one of them with the way you push yourself for the WRO, so I came prepared." Pulling out a trashcan liner she did a quick empty of his waste basket and the floor before tying the bag shut and tossing it out of the room to be taken care of later when she left. Laying a hand against his forehead her eyes widened as she took note of his temperature.

Muttering about stupid macho idiots that think they can weather anything she set about settling him into bed comfortably, fluffing pillows, remaking the bed around her "patient". Sheets changed, blankets popped and aired, and tucked around him she added the comforter she found in his closet. Vincent was about to protest when she sent him a look that told him it would do him no good and her temper wasn't to be trifled with today.

Digging into her basket again she pulled out three bottles and one tablespoon measure. This time Vincent did protest his bass rumble nearly vibrating through her with its intensity. "No medications."

Eyes flashing Maiya turned to Vincent. "Oh? And you think that fever is going to break on its own? Or that chest and sinus congestion that is making it nearly impossible for you to breathe is going to simply wilt away under your formidable will? Or the Pain in your joints and muscles will just go away with the snap of your fingers?"

"I've been sick before, I've never taken medications before, I'll survive." His eyes bored into hers his desire to not have to take anything for this staggering to a halt under Maiya's formidable "Mother Hen" mode.

"You were probably sick for weeks, no one knew where you were and probably worried themselves sick wondering where you were, or probably needed you for something and you weren't there. This will help you get better in days instead of weeks, and I'm not going to hurt or poison you. Damn it Vincent I'm not Hojo!" The sudden inspiration as to why Vincent never took medications of any sort allowed her to add the last as a telling argument as to what she had figured out about her friend.

Vincent's eyes widened in shock as his closest companion, his best friend ripped his argument to shreds and then handed him the very reason he had been avoiding drugs all these years. Could it really be that simple? Laying back down again exhausted suddenly from both the argument and the muscle work of holding himself up on one elbow to argue with his "nurse" he was quiet for a long moment, his eyes not seeing anything in the room, letting Maiya know that he was thinking deeply.

She was about to give up on the argument when she heard his tired voice finally speak. "I trust you."

Her gentle smile returned and she figured out an easy way to keep him with her as she medicated him. "Ok, I'll explain everything before I do it, even show you the bottles and instruction labels so you can see that I'm dosing you properly." Seeing him nod tiredly she pulled out the bottle of pain killers. "This will help to ease the head and body aches as well as help bring down your fever." Showing him the bottle she pulled out a couple of the little pills before handing it over to him for him to read the labels. Once he was satisfied, she handed him the two pills and the glass of water that had been on the bed stand. Putting the bottle back, she pulled out the next. "This one is a decongestant and cough suppressant. Once it's had time to coat things down and go to work, you'll cough less but when you do, it'll be more productive getting the crap out of your lungs." She handed him the bottle to read again and when he handed it back she helped sit him up to take the medication.

Leaving him braced against the pillows and headboard she put that bottle back before pulling out a small container of ointment. This one had no label, This one worried him a little before she started talking in that same matter of fact voice she had been using for her other medication explanations. "This is an ointment to help you breathe easier until the other medications kick in, and even after. There's no label on it because its an infusion I make myself of a couple different herbs commonly found in the kitchen. The support for the infusion is a white petroleum derivative and this is meant to be spread across your chest and between your upper lip and nose." Handing him the jar she let him open it and take a whiff, noting that he had noticed the very strong aroma of what seemed to be menthol but not quite. Handing it back to her he pulled the blankets down to allow her to work. As she started to spread the sticky substance across his chest she asked, "do you have a tea towel or something you don't mind getting dirty or saturated in this stuff, I don't think you want your sheets and blankets soaked in this."

Feeling just how sticky this was, and the slight burning yet cool sensation it was leaving across his chest Vincent nodded. "There is a linen closet out in the hall next to the bathing room." His voice rumbled bass again from the barking cough that had battered it the last few days. Maiya nodded and finished smearing the substance on his chest and his face before she left him there for the short moments it took her to take the empty water glass with her and go find the linen closet. He heard running water during that time and knew that he was going to be force fed liquids as well.

When she returned she had the towel she was looking for and the glass of water. Handing it to him with a look he quietly finished it off and let her finish the preparations to put him back to bed. When she was done he found he was more exhausted than ever and very much ready to sleep. "Take a short nap hon, I'll wake you in about an hour to check your temp and get you something to eat." The soft voice that was now out of sight range lulled him into an easy slumber as the strange concoction she put on his chest and upper lip started to work and eased his breathing.

About an hour later Vincent was hard put to wake up from his much needed slumber by the knocking on his bedroom door. It was when he heard Maiya on the other side that he remembered she was in his house and trying to take care of him. As she came in she looked him over and smiled. "Well for only having had about an hours rest, you certainly look better."

Noticing the tray she had carefully balanced across one arm with a few items on it he tried to sit up and found that he wasn't nearly as stiff and sore as he was earlier, making it easier for him to move on his own. Taking the tray and balancing it carefully for her so she could set up the legs on it he was surprised that she had even found the bed table. "What is this?"

"Some soup, crackers, and juice. Light foods that won't overburden your system but still give you enough energy to help you fight off whatever it is that you've come down with." Looking down he noticed that it looked like a hearty vegetable soup, usually he would be able to eat far more than the large soup cup she'd given him, but he had a feeling that she was being careful. Taking one of the crackers and starting in on the soup he found it well spiced and flavorful and said so.

"I make a large batch of soup every fall and store the majority of it for colder days and when people get sick. While you were asleep I ran home quick to get some and pick up a few other things since your kitchen wasn't too well stocked. I'm glad you like it, and can taste it despite being all stuffed up." Her smile turned playful with the slight tease and Vincent snorted lightly with a slight smirk of his own. By the time he was done with everything on the tray he was once again ready to sleep. Maiya moved the tray to the door and did a quick check of the room making sure he had everything he'd need within arms reach before leaving with the dishes to let him rest again.

From there they developed a pattern of visits and Vincent knew that she was staying at his house to take care of him and that her shop was closed for the duration. He felt bad about this as she wasn't making any money nursing him back to health and she refused any sort of compensation. "I'm your friend Vincent, I do things like this for my friends. I'll be fine, don't worry about a day or two, I consider this a vacation." Vincent snorted at the very idea that anyone could consider nursing stubborn sick men back to health a vacation.

He'd see her every four hours for a light snack or a meal, medications, small talk, and of course to monitor his symptoms. He was pleasantly surprised to see that he was indeed getting better faster under her care though he didn't think it was just the medications that were doing it. Overnight he got to sleep eight hours and exhausted as he had been from fighting the sickness for days before he never noticed when Maiya had come in to check his temperature and make sure he was still comfortable before slipping back out again.

One day after she had started to care for him his fever started to drop steadily, allowing him to stay awake longer and enjoy the company of having Maiya over more. One of their conversations took them deeper into an area that neither were overly comfortable in, but it was just the two of them so they tried to at least make a go of it. "Over these last several years you've told me your story. You've learned about letting go, and starting anew. Have you tried to find someone?" Maiya asked, curiosity driving her, concern lay under that thin veneer.

"Kind of." Vincent wondered what brought this question on. "But I can always see it in their faces, their eyes; the pity, the fear, the outright lust. Its disgusting to me." His voice was smoother than the day before but still ranged bass as he spoke a frown decorating his face as he thought of the people he'd crossed paths with in the time since he'd left his primarily solitary life behind. He then thought about the woman sitting next to his bed. In all of the time that he had known her he had not once heard of her speaking of anyone in a relationship context. "What about you? I don't seem to recall you being overeager to find someone in your life."

Maiya blinked a couple times as her question was turned around on her before fiddling with a ring on her right hand. "That's probably because I've been married already." Seeing her friend's blank look of pure surprise she smiled slightly, though it held a deep note of remembered sadness to it. "It was a few years ago when I told you that I gained my accepting mannerisms because I had lost someone close to me because I couldn't accept something about them." Glancing up at Vincent she noticed that he was settling in for the story and nodding to show that he remembered the conversation.

How could he not. It was the conversation that had completely broken any and all of his reservations about getting closer to this one person. They had become much closer, and he was much easier in her presence than ever before.

"My husband and I hadn't been married long, but we had known each other for a few years. He was one of the technicians at the Mako reactor plant and I was who I've always been." Still playing with the ring on her right hand Vincent finally took a closer look at it and realized that it wasn't just an ornament, but it was indeed a wedding band. But why was it on her right hand? Thoughts interrupted by her voice he listened carefully as she continued her tale.

"The mako reactor was one of the safest places, I was constantly told. Safety checks run frequently and all of the machinery kept up to code in meticulous fashion." Blue gray eyes took on a grayer shade as she delved back into her memories. "It happened early one morning. I got a phone call from the safety administrator for the reactor telling me that Jal had been hurt and I was his emergency contact. I was told what hospital he was at and you can bet that I didn't care what state of dress I was in, I simply flew out the door to see him." A single tear tracked down her cheek as she closed her eyes, remembering the horror, she had been met with as she stepped into the room unprepared.

"In the room lay my husband. He was shielded from everything by a plastic tent that was filled with various things to try and bring him back from the brink he was on. The Safety Administrator had come down to the hospital to meet with me as I hadn't given him any time to tell me what had happened in the plant. According to the doctors I had gone into a state of shock and wasn't responding to anyone before I collapsed." Her slight, self depreciating smile told Vincent all he needed to know about what she thought about her feinting like that.

"I was told that one of the safe rooms that Jal used frequently hadn't been secured properly and when the reactor started its daily tests in that area, the alarms went off indicating some sort of containment failure. It was too late for my husband though. Refined mako somehow had escaped containment from the pressure valves located in the room and had sprayed him down completely." Sniffling slightly Maiya contained herself before continuing, anger in her voice this time.

"My husband, the person I loved most, lay there burned, and struggling to live while the Safety Administrator told me that due to negligence on Jal's part, the ShinRa company would not be paying for his treatments. I was furious." Maiya's eyes flicked around the room irritation was the only emotion left from that traumatic event now as she had time to remember and mourn. Vincent wasn't surprised at all that she had been so very angry. He had felt that fury too when his own love had died.

Taking a deep breath and calming herself again she looked up at her friend a weary smile gracing her face. "I dug deep and worked hard while he was hospitalized. It would take a while but I was allowed to make payments on his treatments so long as I didn't miss any. What I didn't know was that Jal could have gone home long before the hospital released him. Jal came home, healthy, whole, changed." Seeing Vincent's questioning look and knowing he wasn't going to like what he heard she started.

"He was far more aggressive than I had ever known him to be. Granted he could be a total cave man at times, but I figured that was something inherited for men." Her smile turned slightly teasing as she caught Vincent's narrowed eyes before continuing. "This was far worse. Never a quiet man when he had an opinion Jal became overbearing, dominating in conversations. He spent more time at work than he did at home, and while I never feared him raising his hand to me, his voice was plenty. Those were only some of the non-physical changes. Once, he had the most beautiful brown eyes, eyes that could tell you everything about him if you'd let them. After the accident they changed. We were together one night when I really noticed how far those changes went in his eyes. The chemical hadn't just changed their color, they GLOWED when he started getting upset. That was when I started to fear him as a person and not just his actions. He wasn't MY Jal anymore, at least, that's what I had thought."

Vincent looked at the woman who was starting to become more and more distraught as she continued telling her story. He had no idea that the calm, decisive woman he'd known for years now had such a past with ShinRa. He also noticed that she was fidgeting more and more, trying to keep herself contained. He couldn't take this anymore. He had to do something to help ease her distress or she would fall apart here in front of him. Summoning up the energy he shifted over and gently took her by the wrist before pulling her out of her chair and onto the bed across his lap. Settling her there he noticed that she hadn't made more than the token objection to his offer of comfort. His right arm around her back he let her lean against him as she would on the rare occasions when life got to be too much for her. Neither seemed to care that he was still topless save for the tea towel that was plastered to his chest via the balm she had administered not too long ago. "Your past with your husband is painful, but does not explain why your wedding band is on your right hand."

Maiya knew she was going to get sick for sure, but couldn't stop herself from accepting the comfort Vincent offered. She didn't talk much about her husband after what had happened, merely redirecting attention from the question or avoiding the topic all together. It had become so ingrained that no one really noticed when she dodged their questions about her social life anymore. If Jal were still there, still alive, she may never have met Vincent, Jal would be comforting her in her times of duress. However she knew that her life in the here and now was vastly changed for the better starting the day she had surprised him in the trees those years ago. She had a friend, a confidant, a companion that she could lean on when life threatened to upset her stability. And she returned those willingly granted favors in kind as he needed them. The last 24 hours being a prime example of that.

Breathing deeply to try and get another grip on her rampaging emotions she also got the treat of Vincent's unique scent mixed heavily with the aroma of the salve she used on him, frequently. "When I began to fear Jal as a person I started pulling away from him. Wondering if the man he was now was the real Jal, and what happened to him at the reactor was just something that had set his inhibitions aside. Over time, we grew more and more distant. Jal spending more time at the reactor working, and I was at the shop later hours, driving myself to exhaustion so that I wouldn't have to do anything other than go home, clean up, and crash till the next day when we'd do it all over again. We were strangers in the marriage now and every time we had a confrontation about something, small or large, I always wondered if that would be the one time he'd snap and hurt me." Maiya closed her eyes and snorted very softly in derision.

"One day, he just never came home. The part of me that still loved the man Jal was, and still loved my husband worried while the rest of me relaxed in relief that there would be no confrontations. But I still worried. Days passed when I finally got a letter from ShinRa that Jal had been promoted beyond the plant and into the ranks of SOLDIER. I wouldn't see him for months after that letter. When he did finally come home from training on leave, he was much more peaceful. It was as if all he needed was an outlet for his aggressions that, while working at the plant, had no outlet. But I still feared him. His training was thorough, he saw through my evasions and knew that I feared him even more now than I did when he had left. I was subdued, allowing him every request, if only to keep the peace. It was the final straw. He loved me still, he said. But he couldn't take it that I was treating him like he was some kind of monster. When he left to go back to his assigned base, he wasn't angry, only resigned."

"I didn't know a lot of this until the day the ShinRa courier stopped into my shop and delivered the notice. As per his written instructions on file, I was his sole beneficiary should something happen to him out in the field. He had died while trying to help put down a riot that had broken out over one thing or another. It was that day when I realized exactly what I had lost. Ever since then, my wedding band has been a reminder of my mistake, one I can ill afford to make again, and refuse to, and my shop is still open thanks mostly to the money that came in from his insurance, and the sale of the house we used to have together."

While Maiya had spoken of her husband's death she had started to cry, and in his reassuringly patient way, all Vincent did was raise his hand to stroke her hair and down her back to reassure her that she wasn't alone and that it was ok. Times like these were when actions spoke so much more clearly than words ever could between them. Besides that, there was nothing Vincent could really say. This story was a piece of ancient history dredged up and told at the whim of his curiosity, and now that he knew, he understood that she didn't fear getting close to others as he had, but instead feared the loss that inevitably happened. Despite the sense of exhaustion that was again creeping up on him as if chiding him for his activity, he held onto his friend, wordlessly reassuring her that he would not be leaving any time soon.


	7. To Dance

Vincent was a little confused as to the invitation he had received, but there had been few instances where Maiya had done something like this and when he arrived at the shop he had something new as a gift. But this was an evening run, after shop hours, and she had pointedly told him that he wasn't welcome till at least 1 hour after the shop closed. This had been all around strange.

Maiya had locked both shop and apartment door having given Vincent copies of the keys when he gave her copies of the keys to his house years ago. After her scare in the alley those many years ago and his illness, it just seemed to be a natural step for the two of them to ensure that one could check on the other as needed. Vincent knocked on the door to the apartment and heard Maiya inside coming to the door. What he thought was strange was that he could hear her walking across the floor in her good dress shoes, something she almost never wore. However when she opened the door to invite him in, he found himself speechless for the first time in a long time.

When Vincent first met Maiya nearly 15 years ago he could clearly remember how she looked. Her hair back then had only come down to her hips. Now her hair was knee length and tonight most of it was unbound, the sides pulled back into a bun that kept the wavy mass out of her way. Smokey tones highlighted her eyes and lips bringing out a more sensual side of the woman that most people didn't see on a daily basis.

What really drew his attention was the change in her attire. A sheer black long tunic was braced and highlighted by a dark red silk over-bust corset with gold floral embroidery. The tunic flared out some from the bottom of the corset giving her, less of the slender look that she preferred when she wore the corsets when her pants and more of the hour glass that she liked when she was dressing up for an evening. Under the flared section of the sheer tunic which fell to her knees, was a simple black long skirt that was slitted up to the knee displaying her shapely calves as she walked across the apartment to lead him to the bedroom. Having shaken himself out of the daze he was in Vincent looked at his long time companion, questions firing off in his eyes.

Her smile was almost dangerous as she answered. "Just go in there. We're going out tonight to have some fun and I thought you might like something a little different to wear." Giving him a gentle push she closed the door after him, wondering if she had guessed right in what she had made.

Normally Vincent's idea of dressing up was to wear the his clothing that Maiya had made for him from the dark silks and brocades she had found that suited him. Apparently tonight she was looking for something a little different and Vincent found he couldn't really argue her taste as he had found out nearly 10 years ago that she had a very good eye for fashion and what would suit his own style. It didn't mean he had a lot of clothing still, but he had a few other outfits that he could use when he needed something other than his black and crimsons.

As Vincent stepped out of the room he saw the measuring glance of the trained tailor in his friend's eyes before they brightened with her smile. "I knew that would work for you." Looking him over one more time she took in the black silk shirt she had made for him under the vest that had surprised him greatly when he looked the outfit over. The back was made of red dragon hide tanned to a suede finish. The front panels of the vest were backed with a thinner suede finish dragon hide and overlayed with rows upon rows of the smallest crimson dragon scales he'd ever seen. The work had to have been costly and time consuming to get the hundreds of scales that made up the front panels of the vest. There had been no need to change the black light weight leather pants he'd worn over but the boots had been another surprise for him as well. Heavy gauge black leather, wide toes and brass caps on the toes in the design of flames. Now that Vincent had seen the vest, he understood Maiya's color choices tonight. Her reds were just a few shades darker than his, while the golds were just a bit brighter. The effect between the two of them was stunning.

Stepping up on tip toe, Maiya kissed Vincent on the cheek grinning in the cheeky fashion she had when she knew that he was greatly pleased with what she had made, but didn't really have the words to tell her how he felt about it. Taking him by the hand they left the apartment and stepped out into the cool night air. "Where are we going?" Sometimes Maiya would tell him where they were going and other times she'd surprise him when they did outings like this. Tonight Maiya didn't answer his question and only grinned at his almost inaudible sigh of mock irritation.

"Patience old friend, you'll get to see where we're going soon enough." As they walked in companionable silence Maiya noticed the looks Vincent was getting and was pleased with the look she had pulled together for him. It really wasn't much different from his usual look, but instead of hiding him in the shadows, it drew him out, defining his lines and showing that there was more to the mysterious member of the WRO than his silence and good looks.

As they showed up to their destination Vincent smiled. It looked like tonight was going to be a night of wining, dining and dancing given the energy his partner was exuding. He was fully aware of the date but as with the past, it never stopped them from going out to enjoy themselves. Instead of paying for their own meals, they had come to an agreement that this one night a year, they'd pay for each other's events and costs. Reverse dutch in a way.

Lovers and couples came out on this night every year to celebrate what they had. Maiya had convinced Vincent about five years ago to go out on this night, not as a couple, or as lovers, but as friends who loved each other enough to go out and enjoy the night together. Since then it'd become one of their traditions.

Completely skipping the line to the popular restaurant and getting quite a few glares along the way, Maiya lead him to the host stand and presented her reservation card. As they sat down they smiled, Vincent had seen that there were men in the establishment that had noticed the woman who had been with him, much to the dismay of their dates. Maiya had also noticed the same for many of the women in the room.

Ordering for each other Vincent surprised Maiya by pulling her out of her seat and to the dance floor that their table had been next to. The music that had been playing was a medium tempo waltz and as they whirled around the floor neither paid any attention to the number of looks they had been gathering during the number. For despite the semi-reclusive nature of Vincent, and the limited socialization that Maiya did, the two were excellent dancers. Vincent having picked it up as a member of the Turks to help him to blend into the more social situations that might arise in any of his jobs. Maiya had learned over time, but most of the obscure dances that she knew were taught by having a night out with Reno and having him teach her so that she would be able to keep up with her dearest friend. Reno had loved that evening as she had proven that she was a quick learner and quite capable of keeping up with him all night long. Rude had watched the pair all night, even allowing himself to be talked into a dance with the woman. Both had enjoyed that night those years ago and it served her well when she surprised Vincent by knowing the dances he'd tried to trip her up with.

Leading Maiya back to the table with a slight smile they found their drinks and discussed events that were happening in the WRO. Recently as the world started to calm down more and people were realizing that the WRO was nothing like the ShinRa Power Company, they had started making greater strides in bringing life back to the damaged areas of the planet. Cities were all but repaired completely and people were easier to deal with once they realized that those that had once been ShinRa and actually cared about the direction the planet was going in were now members of the WRO.

Politics was no longer a touchy subject and the conversation that evening certainly ranged through that topic as well as many others while the pair ate. The night only started to get interesting for the long time friends when Maiya came back from the restroom to see a very neutral Vincent looking up at an angry young man who was holding the arm of a young woman, his girlfriend Maiya guessed, and speaking angrily to her companion. Stepping up to the situation she asked, "Vincent, what happened?"

Vincent's face was all but plastered in its neutral facade, but Maiya could see the spark of amusement in the depths of his eyes as the three turned to her and took in her stance and outfit and how it was a close match to the man who was sitting. "This young man was just expressing his irritation with me over his companion's lack of class and manners."

Maiya nearly snorted in amusement as the young woman turned back to Vincent anger flashing in her eyes at his blunt criticism and appraisal of the situation. Before the woman could speak however Maiya stepped in once again. "Young lady, go back to your companion for the evening. If you truly do not wish for his attentions then you should not have agreed to an outing. The two of you can deal with your problems on your own, there is no need to drag Vincent or myself into this."

It was at this point that the young man spoke up. "This situation would not have happened ma'am if Tanya here had not decided that Mister Valentine here was more worth her time than myself. When he did nothing to discourage her, I felt it only appropriate to deal with the situation as best as I saw fit."

It was now that Vincent looked up at the younger man. "I did nothing to encourage Miss Tanya, this alone should have told her that I was not interested in her attentions. The fact that it is obvious that I am not here alone even if I was, at the moment, sitting alone should have diffused the situation before this all came to the head it has. Now if you two don't mind, I will go back to my interrupted evening with my companion and wish to hear no more of this." Standing, he held his hand out to Maiya and as she took it, lead her out to the dance floor once again to escape the two who had rudely interrupted their evening.

With his right hand on her waist to guide her, Vincent found the rhythm of the music and swung his partner into their third dance for the night, and certainly not their last. "Poor boy will be better off for knowing how that girl thinks when she's not around him." Maiya muttered, eyes sparkling lightly in amusement, so she wouldn't be overheard by anyone other than her dance partner.

Vincent nodded, truthfully he had been mildly annoyed with the two that had interrupted his evening but found his humor restored quickly with Maiya's sharp observations and amusement with what had happened. Another three numbers passed before they decided to go back to their table, Maiya amused by the number of observations Vincent had quietly made about the couples around them and Vincent pleased that Maiya was able to keep up year after year with him, and the younger generation around them.

It was late in the night, or early in the morning depending on how one looked at it when Vincent and Maiya finally left for home. There had been some instances throughout the evening when one or the other of them had to brush off the attentions of others, but they had a good time. Vincent couldn't remember a time when Maiya had moved so well out on the dance floor and was surprised when she told him, "I had a refresher course last week when I went out to talk with Reno and Rude."

The answer had surprised a chuckle out of the taller of the two. "I should have known that Reno wouldn't let you get rusty." While not all of the Turks had taken up service in the WRO, those that were left after the rebirth of Sephiroth stayed in touch, their information gathering skills second to none. Those that had taken up service in the WRO had gotten closer, becoming a small family within the organization, and taking care of their own first. Somehow, Vincent had become a part of that group, despite his long term forced resignation from the original group.

Maiya laughed, her voice rich with the years she had put behind her. "Of course. That man takes it as a personal insult if he teaches someone a skill and they aren't able to keep up in practice." Both laughed at the accurate summary of Reno's teaching skills.

As Vincent stepped into the shop area of Maiya's, he gently grasped his friend by the arm and pulled her into a hug. "You've been the closest person in my life for many years now. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me."

Smiling gently up at her dearest friend she answered. "You've been my dearest friend for a long time now too. Thank you for being there for me through everything." Gently caressing the cheek of her friend she watched close as he left before locking up behind him. Stepping upstairs into her apartment she still smiled. Tonight was not a night of lovers for them. Instead it was a reaffirmation of the deep love and companionship they had found in their friendship. One, she hoped, that would continue to be strong and tie them together for the many years to come. 


	8. Fear

Vincent was moving without really seeing where he was going. His mind too busy thinking on an emotion he had become all too familiar with in the last few years of knowing Maiya. Fear. Outwardly he was the same picture of calm deliberation he normally was in a crisis while inside, those who knew him could see, he was nearly in a state of panic this time over what had happened.

Nanaki padded quietly next to the seething man knowing that his silence was more appreciated than anything he could say at the moment. He wasn't sure what he could do in the situation, but Reeve had called him up in Cosmo Canyon to have him meet Vincent at this hospital in Kalm. However he could not contain the blink of extreme surprise when the first words out of Vincent's mouth when they walked into the reception area was "Where is she?"

Reeve, or someone from the head office had to have called ahead to warn them that Vincent was coming and what to expect from the man, as no one asked who he was talking about, only giving him express directions to a room in the critical care facility of the hospital. Taking the elevator up three floors Nanaki looked up at his silent friend. "She?"

Vincent was quiet for a moment longer, but the quality of his silence had changed. Instead of a brooding, borderline violent silence, this was one that was Vincent preparing to answer a question posed to him. "Maiya."

Nanaki blinked again, this time in understanding. He had not met the woman who had now been a long time friend of Vincent's, but he had heard several stories from the others about her. How she had brought him more out of his shell and accepted everything she had learned of him, giving him someone to talk to, to care for, and someone who cared about him in return. There was only one question left for him to ask then, as he now had an inkling as to what was causing his friend's protective tenancies to come out now. "Why am I here?"

They were on the critical care floor as this was asked and Vincent stopped near a waiting room area to look down at the creature he hoped would be able to save his friend. Thinking back in his mind to everything that happened in the last two days his jaw tightened as he put together the words needed to explain what happened. "Tuesti recalled me from a mission two days ago. When I got back to the WRO headquarters in Midgar, I was told that Maiya was in Kalm Hospital's critical care ward. She had been found out in the wilderness when she managed to activate her cellphone's recall function, allowing the Kalm tracking teams to find her and stabilize her. All I know is she's here, close to death, and I was her emergency contact both within the WRO and on her Cellphone's ICE list."

Nanaki was starting to understand what was going on and seeing that the doctors were now moving towards them, he made sure that his WRO identification badge was visible so he wouldn't have to fight about being an "animal" in a hospital setting. Letting Vincent take the lead for now, he knew that the man was on edge, but his ability to hide that edge was legendary.

"You are Vincent Valentine?" The lead physician asked, glancing at Nanaki and promptly ignoring the "animal" designation as soon as he caught sight of the WRO ID tag. Seeing Vincent's patient glower deepen he continued. "Craft Mistress Hattori is in bad shape. We're not sure what attacked her in the area, as nothing like this has ever been seen before in Kalm." Vincent wasn't surprised that the doctors knew Maiya's craft affiliations. She had told him several times over the years that she took an annual week long hunting trip up to the Kalm area to get materials she needed to help supplement what she got from traders and hunters over the course of the year. That she had been into the medical facilities for various minor hunting accidents would be no real surprise. Nanaki on the other hand was slightly surprised at the attention to detail displayed and continued to watch things unfold.

"You say she's in 'bad' condition. Elaborate." Vincent wanted to know what he would be walking into before he got to Maiya's room. Granted, both he and Maiya had seen each other laid up sick on various occasions, but this was different. This was going to change things in the future.

The assistant lead took over as she had been the primary treating specialist while the team worked to keep the woman alive. "Hattori-san has lost a lot of blood. Beyond that there has been major blunt trauma in the head and torso with sections torn up along her limbs." Looking over to the team lead she realized that she had been as blunt with this man as she would have been to another doctor, yet looking over at him again he seemed to be unaffected by the list of injuries.

"I wish to see her." Nanaki nearly smiled as he had expected the blunt demand, but the doctors before them had not expected it, and looked about ready to argue.

Deciding to hopefully put an early stop to an argument that could easily bring out Vincent's more violent protective tenancies, Nanaki stepped up, pulling attention to himself. "Miss Hattori is stable is she not?"

The assistant lead glanced at the lead and at his nod released the information. "Barely. We have only been able to stabilize her vitals just this morning."

"Then I would let us in to see the woman. Both Vincent and myself are familiar with the medical procedures you would have used to stabilize her and we may be able to help should she be stable enough to undergo what we have planned." The educated mellow voice coming from the "beast" before them surprised the doctors.

One of the sub-staff members looked at Nanaki curiously. "And you are?"

"Ahh, forgive my rudeness. I am WRO Section Commander Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon. My friend here is WRO Specialist Vincent Valentine." The lack of specialization was telling as most people understood that the WRO unlabeled specialists had no real specializations, instead, were a little bit of everything and could do everything they did well. Most of the specialists came from the remnants of the Turks, but a few were people like Cloud who had been trained extensively to take on the role.

While introductions were made and situations were settled, a woman in a room just down the hall was comatose. Within the room many machines and bags of medicines were hooked up to her, heart monitor, blood oxygen monitor, variable level oxygen mask, saline, morphine, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, sleeping medicines. All combined into a potent monitoring cocktail to keep the woman asleep, healing, and watched while there was no one in the room. Time had no meaning for the sleeping woman. Instead she was locked in a healing slumber where her memories played out, painful to remember and impossible to forget.

The day had been perfect for the hunt. Not too cool for her to need an additional jacket and yet not so warm that she started sweating to give away her position by her scent. Resting in a tree stand overlooking a small clearing she waited patiently for her prey to come to her. It was a game she had perfected over the years. The patience she had built up in that time was formidable, allowing her to be relaxed and still for hours at a time. It helped that she enjoyed nature as it was, untainted where she was. A flash of moving green caught her attention from her memories and looking down she smiled as she saw a small reptilian creature slink past her tree stand. From her position she could see that it had heavier scaled armor along the dorsal ridge so she aimed for what she knew would be the softer scales just under the ear hole in the hopes that her barbed arrow would pierce through and nick the command nerves in the neck.

The sharp snap of her bow shot was the first in a series of sounds that eventually ended in the death of the creature. Climbing down from her tree stand she was careful to keep her bow loaded. She had learned over 20 years ago that the creatures she hunted for hides, skins and scales weren't always dead when they stopped moving. Fortunately for her, this one had been a rather noisy kill. The bellowing and thrashing it had done in its death throes had torn up a chunk of the turf around it. Its movement however had been limited with the two arrows that protruded from its neck. Maiya always liked to have clean kills if possible. It made skinning and preserving the hides, skins and scales much easier.

Seeing that the creature was dead she clipped her bow back and pulled out her skinning and scaling supplies. If she was lucky, this would be the only kill she would need for the day. If not, she'd be pulling her tree stand down and moving to another clearing and repeating the process. About halfway through the process of pulling the dorsal scales off so she could get a better idea of how good the hide was she was interrupted by a low chuckle behind her. "Well well. What have we here?"

Having learned a few things from the Turks and Tifa over the last few years Maiya calmly put her scaling tools down and turned to face the man behind her. Only to find it was a small gang. Not well dressed, and somewhat disreputable looking. "Can I help you gents?" It had taken time and a lot of training, but Tifa had gotten the guys to train Maiya out of her bad habit of startling when men caught her off guard. Now she was able to maintain her cool and observe the situation for a way out.

"We were patrolling this area of our property when we heard you killing this creature. Since you're trespassing we're going to have to ask you for compensation for the loss of property." The smallest, but meanest looking member of the group said.

Maiya blinked in believable surprise. "I've been hunting these forests every year for the last 20 some odd years and never have I heard from anyone in Kalm about there being new property owners this far out. However, I know that this guy I just killed is edible. Let me finish skinning him and you can have everything else and you'll have quite a few good meals off him." Hoping that they'd take her up on this offer. She didn't like how they were looking at her and was hoping that compensation wouldn't involve more violence than she could handle.

"Well now isn't that just nice of you. Save us some effort to get a meal and all that. But no." The grins they were all sporting turned several shades more sinister. "I think we'll just take our compensation out on you."

Maiya was afraid of this but didn't hesitate. Rude, Reno, Tseng and Elena had trained any hesitation out of her when it came to responding to threats to her personal well being. Tifa didn't have the necessary cruelty for it and knew it so she asked for the favor to help the woman protect herself from potentially deadly situations. The Turks realized that once people started to realize who Maiya was in connection with the WRO, and the upper command staff, she would need that training. So they agreed. Rude and Tseng were especially hard on her. She was grateful for it now as her right hand released its tension and in a swift movement pulled the hand gun she kept with her while she hunted to normally finish any harder kills and started shooting.

Knees, shoulders, thighs, larger areas of the bodies available for disabling shots she used on those that weren't carrying weapons. Those that were she didn't hesitate and went for torso and head shots, emptying her 12 round clip in short order in a spray of violence that shocked the group that had stayed back in the treeline. This unassuming middle aged woman just disabled or killed most of their best men. However watching their partners get hurt, some of them crippled galvanized them into action.

Stepping out into the clearing the second in command brought out the other half of the group that had been watching. "You've killed or crippled our friends. We'll have to add that to your tab."

By this time the adrenaline had more than enough time to drive Maiya's reaction times up as she looked at the man who spoke to her. "Your friends would still be alive and whole if they'd just left me alone. The same will go for you." Her voice was not as calm as she would have liked it to be, but it was pitched low enough to drive home the point that she was in control of herself. Unfortunately for her, she was out of bullets, and too close ranged to use her bow as anything more than a melee weapon now. This was going to ruin her bow, but she'd rather have to get a new one than get killed.

Getting mobbed by a group of thugs in the middle of a city is one thing. People may come by and see what happened, or at least someone is almost guaranteed to walk by in time to save a life. Out in the wilds of Kalm, this was not the case and as they took out their anger on her, it was all she could to in the end to curl up on the ground to protect her softer tissues and hope that she survived long enough to call for help. The beating didn't stop however until she had blacked out and was completely unresponsive.

Maiya continued to breathe while she was in the hospital. Her memories ending there, her body so wracked with damage that she was barely holding on. What happened after she had passed out from pain and trauma was probably the very thing that saved her life instead of ending it.

As the gang searched her for anything worth money they found her cellphone and one of them glanced through the phone book before blanching. "Leave her for dead and hope no one finds her." The suggestion and fear in his voice caused the others to look up from their systematic search.

"What's up Gino?" The second in command looked over at his friend wondering what could have caused him to blanch like that.

"Hope we don't get found. This woman's got some powerful friends." Turning the phone over to the Second, the man looked over the phone book and his eyes widened as well.

"Enough searching. Take what we have now, pick up our brothers and scatter. The last thing we need is the wolves of the WRO breathing down our necks." Dropping the phone next to the corpse like body he picked up the corpse of his leader and like the rest of his friends, vanished into the forest.

As the phone hit the ground the send button was hit by a protruding rock, leaving the phone to ring through to the number that had been highlighted. It was from there that the person on the other side made the assumption that Maiya was in trouble and knowing what town she had been in called for a search of the area since they were able to triangulate the general area of the call. Leading up to Vincent's recall, and his request of Nanaki's assistance at the hospital they were both at.

As Vincent finished getting the information he wanted from the doctors he looked down at his friend and found he was being carefully watched. Not overly surprised as he was not the most predictable personality when upset, but he was also starting to get the feeling that the doctors were holding something back from him. Instead of drilling them for the answers he stood up straight again from his leaning position on the pillar and nodded. Without waiting for anyone he headed back down the hall again looking for the room Maiya was in.

When he found her, Nanaki was right behind him and in shock at the condition the woman was in. The doctors had mentioned that she had both blunt and sharp trauma to various parts of her body, but nothing had prepared him for the end result of the brutality he was looking at now. The blunt trauma was obvious from the sizes and shapes of the bruises that liberally covered more than 90 percent of her visible features. However due to the bandaging, neither he or Vincent could tell what had caused the gashes that were now sutured, Steristripped and/or bandaged and now carefully wrapped in the sterile white gauze to protect them from infection.

"Maiya." Vincent all but whispered as he moved swiftly across the room to stand by his friend's bed. Looking down at her from this vantage point he could see that the doctors had done a good job of keeping her in pain free sedation. He could also see that she was in worse condition than he had originally anticipated. She was pale, very pale and it reminded him of his own skin tones. She was very much a child of nature, and because of that she was outside quite often when she could. Pale skin tones for her indicated illness, or in this case blood loss. She was a fighter though and because of that, she wasn't about to just lay quietly and die. Instead she was here still alive, if only barely, waiting for someone to help her wake up.

Nanaki was watching from a slightly different vantage point and after cataloging everything he could about the woman, he knew that she wouldn't survive what they had originally planned. "Plan B it is." His gentle voice causing his friend to look over at him for an explanation.

Looking back at Vincent he knew nothing would happen in this room without his say so, now that he was there to protect her. "She will not survive the effects of a Fullcure. Her body is riding the fine line between sleep and death too well for that." Seeing Vincent's eyes narrow and knowing the man didn't like what he had heard he merely continued. "However I did bring another materia with me that will help her, but it will take time and concentrated effort over the next 24 hours for it to do what I have planned."

Vincent looked closely at his friend's various headdress pieces and finally saw what Nanaki had been referring to. A mastered Restore materia. Those who did not have regular access or exposure to the magics of the various materias found their bodies fighting the invading energies, even if the materia being used was meant to help them recover faster. A low level Cure spell from the Restore materia would not only help Maiya to recover, but would start the process of acclimating her body to materia magics. Nodding Vincent stepped back from Maiya, watching both Nanaki and her like a hawk for any abnormal reactions as Nanaki focused and unleashed the lowest level Cure spell.

Both the doctors who were now watching from the door, and Nanaki watched carefully hoping that the invading energies designed to help heal, would not upset the body's overtaxed resources. When they saw no poor reactions to the spell, the treating physician came in and looked the woman over. Smiling she turned to Nanaki, "Looks like she's going to accept this treatment plan better than we had hoped. One of her smallest lacerations has healed enough that I can take the sutures out of it now. Once an hour repeat this process and she should wake up by tomorrow morning."

Seeing that everything was starting to pull through for her patient she quickly ordered up the suture removal kit and took care of the small area before wrapping it again in a lighter swath of gauze. Standing to leave she had seen the look on Vincent's face and how protective he had gotten the moment he had seen his friend. Remembering the recommendation from Reeve Tuesti, who had called before this pair had arrived, she looked over at the crimson and black garbed man. "I'll have a cot and timer brought in so you two can can rest up some before the next spell."

Time passed and over night literally there was the visible changes to Maiya's well being. Six hours after the cure spell treatment started, Maiya was able to breathe again on her own without the help of the oxygen masks to ease the load on her lungs. Between treatments Nanaki rested, keeping a close eye on the woman for adverse reactions, especially while Vincent dropped into a light sleep, capable of being brought to full awareness in a moment should something untoward happen to his friend.

As the next morning came, most of the sutured sites on her arms and leg had been healed to the point where the sutures could be removed, the magic being used continuing to work on old sites while bleeding over the majority of its power into new sites, seeking out the 'abnormalities' in the physique they were healing to close and mend. The treating physician stayed on the clock for them, preventing them from having to deal with another medical team this late in the treatment. She had stayed in the break room when she wasn't doing rounds on her patients, always making it back to Maiya's room to watch in awe the level of care and control the two who stayed with Maiya displayed for her patient as they would cast the healing magics over and over.

Nanaki was sleeping to recover some of his own magic so he could continue to cast the spells needed as the treating doctor looked over at the alert Vincent. "She's a lucky woman." Blinking in slight confusion Vincent looked carefully at the doctor, looking for an answer to the questions that were now starting to come forward in his mind.

"She has good friends in you and Nanaki to have the WRO send you here to help her." Looking across at the quiet man she noted a slight smirk that had not been there before the talk.

"I am here because she is my closest friend, and Tuesti knows he would be having... Problems, if I were to be kept from her when she is in trouble." The dim early morning light emphasized the glow that was now starting to appear in his eyes. He was thinking terrible things, but not one iota of their content reflected in his features.

"I'm glad she has a friend like you. For the last 20 some odd years she's hunted the wilds around Kalm one week out of the year. She's always come here if she needed to be patched up but never in that time have I seen any family contacts or members come when she got more injured than a simple in and out visit would fix. She's alone in the world because of the Meteor event and I know her well enough from the last several years as being my patient that she's been terribly adrift without that connection before she met you."

This information while not new to Vincent, surprised him as it meant that she had connections in Kalm he hadn't previously thought about. Both were silent in their contemplations before the sound of a deep sighing breath grabbed the attentions of everyone in the room. Nanaki came alert as he had been only lightly sleeping, letting his ears tell him what he needed to know about Maiya as her breathing changed over the night to a deeper, more restful state.

Now it sounded like the woman was nearly ready to wake up, and he hoped that this was the case, as the room was sometimes stifling with Vincent's brooding. The taller man had shifted position to the chair that was next to the bed, placing himself in what would be her field of vision when she finally did open her eyes. If she would waken, Nanaki knew they could use some of the stronger Cure spells to help her get out of the hospital faster. Both doctor and friend watched as Vincent took Maiya's hand in his own before gently brushing her loose hair out of her face before rumbling quietly as he usually did when she was sick. "Maiya, wake up."

Maiya felt herself waking up from a deep and extremely restful sleep. While she was uncertain where she was, she could tell in her semi-sleep state that she was not out in the forests where she last remembered being. She could hear the soft voices of others near her, even if she wasn't coherent enough to understand what they were saying. Her confusion served to push her into a sleeping state of wakefulness prompting her to breathe deeply to ease the tension of the muscles that seemed to be constricting her chest some. It was shortly after this action that she felt someone move close to her, she felt a leather gloved hand take her own and something cool and metallic lightly brush against her forehead removing the tickle of her hair against her face. What made her want to open her eyes however was the softly spoken command for her to wake up.

As the doctor and Nanaki watched Vincent, they could see that while he was semi-relaxed, his eyes were not. They were observing, tracking, looking for anything that would indicate that his friend had heard him. a slight smile appeared as he found what he was looking for. The slight fluttering of her eye lids before her brow scrunched up in an attempt to deny the waking world.

Maiya didn't want to leave the relaxed state of sleep she was in, but knew she could deny the voice that had asked for her to wake up nothing. She knew the voice, its owner cared for her when she was sick, and sometimes even when she wasn't. As she let herself come into full awareness she started to put names to what she heard. The voice being Vincent, she heard him, as well as the doctor that usually took her case when she was in the hospital. Cracking her eyes open she found that they had gummed over with sleep making them crusty and a little difficult to open. Reaching up she gently rubbed the crud out, letting her eyes focus some more when she opened them again, finally seeing where she was, and who was with her.

Vincent smiled slightly as he watched her wake up. As she did whenever she slept deeply she never woke up easily, even if she did wake up for him. Seeing her eyes finally focus on the room, its occupants and himself he observed her and saw that she was still out of it some from her beating, but would soon recover. "About time you woke up sleeping beauty."

Maiya snorted, her voice cracking as she gave her longest friend a very sleepy evil eye. "Hi." She gratefully took the small glass of water from the doctor who had disappeared into the adjacent bathroom to get it and started sipping to ease the dry scratchiness of her throat.

Looking around she saw there was one more in the room she had not registered before. Looking From Vincent to her visitor she cocked her head to one side trying to make sense of what she was seeing. "What's that Vincent?"

She was startled by the snort and look of mock offense the animal gave her before it stood up, allowing her to see the markings and hair pieces he wore to much better effect. "I am Nanaki. Pleased to meat you Maiya, friend of Vincent."

He could see her mind racing to connect the name to a face and they all saw when she remembered. "I've seen pictures of you. Been told about you as well. Nice to finally meet you."

As they chatted for a short time, finding out what Maiya remembered of her beating and the people that caused it, they also worked on her body, hoping that the more advanced Cure spells would take hold and not set her back. Fortunately her body had adjusted to the cure magics over the many hours of treatment and accepted the greater spells without fighting her into a relapse. With Maiya awake, and in good hands, the doctor left for another round and to order breakfast for the small group. As Nanaki slept Maiya looked over at Vincent. "I thought you were on assignment, and not due back till after I got back?"

Vincent had already seen that her mental acuity had remained despite the head trauma and nodded. "I was. But when you were beaten someone must have dropped your phone because it rang through to Tifa. When she couldn't hear you or contact you once the connection broke she called Reeve to have him look for you. Once you were found, I was recalled. Not knowing how bad a shape you were in, I asked Nanaki to join me since he had access to curative materia. You know the rest."

Maiya smiled happier than she had been when she woke up, as confusion had been the dominant emotion then. Thinking on things a moment she smiled again, this time it was a mischievous grin. "How many did you terrorize to get up here?" Her voice holding a knowing tone in it. She would have terrorized the WRO hospital staff to find him if she hadn't had a permanent visitors pass at the front desk. She didn't need to find him often, but when she did most of the primary building staff now knew to stay out of her way or just point her in the right direction. Even Reeve thought she was a holy terror when she was worried about her friend. She couldn't imagine him being much different.

"Reeve must have called ahead and warned them." The equally knowing smile dancing across his face. "I was pretty much left alone till I got up to this floor." Hearing Maiya's laugh was a balm to his wounded ego. He hadn't been there to protect her. However he and Nanaki now had enough information to track down the bastards that tortured her and in time they would have all the information they needed to shut down their operations in that area.

The rest of the day was spent sleeping, healing or talking as the doctors refused to let Maiya go till they were certain she was healed enough to remain stable on the trip back to Midgar. That evening they received the good news that the next morning the paperwork would be delivered to release Maiya from inpatient care and into Vincent's care. Nanaki got a good laugh at the look of irritation and offense that crossed Vincent's face when Maiya made the comment about being transferred from a group of mother hens to one that could put the group to shame. She was forgiven however when he saw the look of amusement that dominated her face.

None of them could really stand much more of the hospital environment, and when all was said and done, were grateful to leave to go their separate ways. Nanaki promised to send in his report of what happened and Vincent knew that someone would be out in that forest soon. He looked forward to asking some rather pointed questions and he hoped that Reeve would let him do it. Till then he'd watch over Maiya and let the others know that she was back safe. 


	9. When I'm 64

Pretending to be bored wasn't a problem for Maiya, for there was no pretense in her act for that aspect. Pretending to be an ultra rich socialite with a husband half her age was the major rub. She knew that the information gathering section of the WRO needed to get into this party to find out who was pulling the strings behind the latest troubles that had Cloud, and Barrett out on assignment. But this party was ultra exclusive, consisting of old money and older names.

Maiya's family history as a member of the Hattori clan all but guaranteed that no one would question her pedigree, and to place the front that she had the money that the clan used to command was no big challenge for her as she knew clothing design and its marketable skills inside and out. It was teaching the more casual woman the niceties of high society associations and parties. Looking around the room for her "husband" she thought back to a week ago when she took temporary leave of her senses and agreed to this.

The lunch invitation from Vincent was a common thing for them when he was in town and off duty. Usually they would go for a walk to one of the near by cafes if the weather permitted, or they'd stay in at Maiya's if the weather was inclement. Today was strange as she would be going out in poor weather, picked up by Reno and Rude to attend a luncheon at the WRO headquarters. No longer full time specialists for the WRO, Reno and Rude were trainers for the advanced classes of specialists. Those who would have been Turks had ShinRa still been around.

In the 34 years since she met Vincent, she had seen great changes in the world. Most due to the efforts of the WRO once it got off the ground, not as a governing body, but as a semi-militant peace keeping force dedicated to what was right for the planet. Once the majority of the world understood that, they were more amiable to the idea of letting the group have more liberties in their towns and villages. What was good for the planet, reciprocated into what was good for the people.

Over the last few months however there had been rumors whispering about the city from the most unlikeliest of sources about end times and how the WRO was leading them all to slaughter like ShinRa had in the past. Rumors of militias forming for no other reason than to fight off the WRO and keep control of their own lands. Fear runs deep in the hearts of those who remembered the 5 year period of pain and suffering that started with the awakening of the people to ShinRa's true motives and the death of its President to the close call every life on the planet shared when Omega and Chaos were beckoned forth for their ultimate purposes. Fears that were coming to light again, this time in a younger generation. One that had never seen the horrors of a planet destroying Meteor spell or the potential for the end of the world at the hands of the final, and greatest weapon and protector.

Vincent had been the one to ask her to keep an ear out for this reason. She was known to associate with members of the WRO, but only in a friendly capacity. She was still trusted by all of her customers as she worked still, but shorter hours as her hands pained her with arthritis on odd weather days and her eyesight was getting worse as time marched on. From the looks she had been getting and from how she noticed Reno and Rude watching their surroundings more closely she figured this lunch would be more of a Q&A over really good food, than the informal gathering she was originally hoping for.

By the time the meeting was done Maiya wondered just what in the hell possessed these people to propose some of the things they did, and in her case, what had possessed her to go along with the idea?! She now had one week of intensive training by the people who knew her best to prepare her for the role of Hattori Matriarch. All to get Vincent, who now had the role of her MUCH younger husband, into the party where the WRO were convinced that one of the financial backers of the group or groups trying to upset the balance of things would be at.

While she ate lunch and listened to the others speaking she finally heard her name come up in the conversation. Looking up to indicate her attention, not that it had wandered, she heard. "Madam Hattori, we would like for you to participate in this mission in your position as Hattori Clan Matriarch."

Maiya nearly spat her soup across the table in shock before swallowing quickly and replying with her still sharp tongue. "I'm an old woman, not one of your operatives trained from early age to go sneaking around for information." Three of the people at the table had to suppress smirks knowing that the 'old woman' could put any one of their operatives in their place with just her vocabulary. Unfortunately the man at the head of the table was not Reeve Tuesti as the former head of the WRO had passed away from heart failure just a few short years ago. This new leader had the trust and leadership of the organization and understood her connection to it, but still did not understand completely that she did not take orders from anyone, not even her closest confidant Vincent.

"What the boss is trying to say is that we're in a tight spot where you'd be able to help us get into a place to get some information." Reno started, pulling a folder out after glancing at his partner and getting the OK. "Here's what we do know, Vincent should have called you last night to explain some of this."

Maiya took the folder and looked over at Vincent who shrugged slightly as if to say he didn't know what all happened. "I was out of my home last night. I had gone to see a performance and didn't get back in till late. Vincent probably got my answering machine and didn't leave a message as I didn't have any when I came back home." Flicking through the papers she read quickly after putting her reading glasses on.

"You want me to go to a high society event, and get this information alone?" Her voice dropped to warning tones that have Vincent, Rude and Reno all on alert. The man leading the meeting however either wasn't paying attention or didn't care that she was about to explode in a most spectacular fashion as he answered.

"Of course not. Reno and Rude will assign a team to back you up, Vincent will be going with you inside." Looking at the group he noticed that three of his table mates were on alert and watching the fourth carefully.

Sarcasm dripped. "Wonderful." Pulling her glasses off her nose she folded them up and used them as a pointer to emphasize her speech. "And just HOW are you planning on getting Vincent into this event?"

Vincent was the only one of three now that didn't look like he wanted to find a bomb shelter. Inwardly however he knew that this was going to get ugly real quick and interceded before the WRO commander sunk himself deeper than he already was. "The plan is fairly simple Maiya. I will be going in as your husband. The cover story will be that I married into the Hattori clan to preserve it after a romance that lead to a marriage based on love. There is some amount of old world thought to this but no one will argue it, as the Hattori clan is not one that anyone wants to see disappear."

Rude and Reno settled in now that the potential bomb in the situation had been defused. Maiya was listening, somewhat irritated still as it was obvious she didn't like the plan, but she was still listening. "Vincent, just how in Gaea's name did these idiots talk you into this? You do realize what this will require of you right?"

Vincent nodded, he had been to these functions before as a Turk, but this would be the first time he would be going under cover, and with someone he knew on his arm like this. This couldn't be messed up. If Maiya got hurt because they slipped up anywhere on this mission, he'd never forgive himself.

Sighing Maiya looked at Reno and Rude. "I want you two on site the night this happens. I don't care how good your rookies are, I want people I know there. I haven't done a high society gig since I told them that the Hattori clan was stepping down as Cloth Masters nearly 46 years ago. The WRO is also compensating me for the time I have to keep my shop closed to prepare for this. I read that file. I have a week to prepare clothing for myself and Vincent that would be appropriate for this. Not to mention get him caught up on clan politics and everything else he needs to know to pass off as a wedded member of the clan."

As Maiya started fuming about how much work she had ahead of her in the coming week Rude looked over at the WRO leader and tilted his head to the side. Reno followed his lead. "We told you she wasn't going to take this well. You have to give her time to prepare if its going to involve anything where she's going out in public and has to be in the correct fashion. Another week to prepare for this would have probably made her more amiable to this idea."

Over time Reno and Rude had come to know the woman and knew what made her tick socially almost as well as Vincent did. This did much to help smooth over rough spots between her and any dealings with the WRO. Reno's no beating around the bush means of talking to her helped as much as Rude's stolid manner. They were two she trusted almost as much as she did Vincent. Nodding in agreement that another week to prepare would have helped she signed as she closed her eyes for a moment to try and pull costuming ideas together. Vincent would be easy and jotting down the notes on the back of one of the operations papers while her eyes were still closed she also jotted down what she'd need to make her own outfit for the night. "Get me this by tomorrow and I'll be able to do it."

Taking the paper Reno glanced over it before passing it on to the WRO commander. As he looked at it he nearly turned purple. "We can't get this on such short notice. Some of these materials are costly, and rare to find, you of all people should know that!"

"Not my problem. You wanted my help, that is what I need to give it." Reno tapped the woman's hand and winked. Maiya took the message that the eternal trickster and the others would make sure she had what she needed, she stood. "I think I've had enough lunch. I need to get back to my shop and prepare to close down for a week." As she left Rude looked at the man still looking at the paper at the head of the table.

"You would get her help more often, and easier if you learned to get along with her. She doesn't ask for much." With that he, Vincent and Reno stood and followed Maiya out to get her home so she could work out her plan for the week.

Now here she was, making small talk with women who ranged from half her age to nearly 20 years older. Her 'husband' was across the room making conversation with the men, having also been intensely trained in the last week about the history, traditions, tactics, and means of the Hattori clan.

Having known him as long as she had Maiya could tell that he was barely hanging on to his patience. There was a tightness about his shoulders that screamed it that most wouldn't look for as he looked relaxed and seemed to be enjoying the company he was in. However he would occasionally glance back across the room to check on his 'wife' and could see that she was only slightly more comfortable in her position than he was. When he heard that background music get progressively louder he smiled and excused himself from the group.

He cut a fine figure this evening dressed in a custom tailored tux. Instead of cummerbund he chose to wear his red dragon scale vest that complimented Maiya's look effortlessly. Instead of his hair being held up and back by his bandanna, he allowed for Maiya to pull the majority of it back into a braid, leaving two thick locks to frame his face. It was this look that drew the eyes of people around the room as he walked across the floor to Maiya. For this occasion he dredged up the clawed gauntlet and bracer set that made his hands match when he had first woken from Hojo's horrific experiments. Tonight it served to his disguise as he had been an amputee young in life and the replacements he had gotten were all he could afford to get and upkeep until he had met and wooed the Hattori Matriarch. Not a whole truth, but not a whole lie either. Holding his hand out to her he asked, "Would the lady honor me with a dance?" And returned her smile as he pulled her up from her chair effortlessly and lead her out for her first dance of the evening.

Maiya was a knockout herself that evening, dressed in a dark red ball gown that drew the eye with its gold bead work and corset style lacing that snugged everything in for her. Her hair was pulled back in a simple french twist that looked like it had been frosted as her body was starting to catch up to her age and had started to silver her hair. Vincent wasn't going to say a word, but she had caused him to nearly choke on himself when he had seen her as she opened the door to her apartment. Still, he had managed appropriate compliments that made his oldest friend blush to rival his vest before offering her his arm for the evening. She grabbed her cane, as it would be her affectation for the evening, as well as may prove necessary if her knee decided to bum out on her at an in opportune time. Ever style conscious the piece had been a gift from Vincent a few years back out of the vaults of the mansion, allowing her to maintain her independence once her knees decided they didn't want to play nice so often anymore.

Both were by no means the most fancy dressed couple there, but their movements and time worn knowledge of each other lent them a grace and elegance that allowed them to surpass the expectations of those that had attended to see the reemergence of the Hattori Clan. As they moved across the floor one could see that they were in conversation with each other, and given how they looked it was pleasant lovers conversation. Nothing like most had expected of a relationship between the elder matriarch and a man all but half her age.

Had anyone been able to hear them though they would have heard something entirely contrary to how they looked. As agreed upon they used the dances to keep in touch and keep information flowing between the two of them. Maiya had an amazing memory for things mentioned that didn't sound right and when added together with everything that Vincent had picked up they were able to paint a startlingly complete picture of how things were put together.

Continuing this way, Maiya laid down law as leader of the Hattori clan, and Vincent charmed the women around her with his manners, speech and good looks. With the men, they played in reverse with Vincent laying down the law and Maiya charming the men, and when they were questioned about their faithfulness to each other they provided a unified front that no one in the room could break.

By the end of the night, Maiya was exhausted but doing her damnedest to hide it, while Vincent made excuses for them both and charmed them out of the ballroom to collect their things. By the time they were both in the limo and on their way home Maiya was resting against Vincent with his arm wrapped around her now that he had removed his gauntlet and bracer. Pulling out his phone he called into headquarters only to leave a brief message, "Mission success, briefing in the morning." 


	10. In the End

Vincent held the hand of a white haired woman as she stared at the ceiling of his home. Maiya, now aged and dying was in his care for the last of her life, something he felt he needed to do for his friend. Thinking back over the last 60 some odd years he was flooded with a range of feelings that accompanied the various flashes he saw in his mind's eye. The moments of joy, fear, anger, pain, confusion, and many many more brought him to the day he was living now as he sat by her side.

He had a large spare room converted to her own, with a hospital bed and everything she needed for her comforts within. The last 18 months had been the hardest to endure for him as he had found out from her during her first trip to the hospital in that time that he had been appointed her executor of estate, and her legal caregiver. Any medical, legal, financial, or other questions would go through him when she was not considered of sound mind to make those decisions.

"Why me?" The shock across his face was easy to see for the old woman despite being mostly blind.

This had been one of her clear days. A day when she was considered of sound mind and it was on those days that she and Vincent had the important discussions to iron out things that hadn't been taken care of yet. The smile on her wrinkled face as she reached up to brush his still black hair out of his face, still managed to light up the room with his serene glow. "Because I trust you. You have been my friend, my closest confidant and more for over 60 years now."

Thick glasses made the attempt to improve Maiya's vision, but between cataracts and old age, her vision failed her more often then not. The fact that she had been living with Vincent these last ten years was what allowed for her to get around his home as well as she did. He had refused to take no for an answer when he moved her out of her apartment above what used to be her shop, a little more than 15 years after she finally retired. He claimed that he was lonely and tired of living in his house which was plenty big enough for the both of them alone while he simply packed everything up and moved her out over the course of the day, hiring a moving company to get her things while he took care of the major necessities for her move.

Both knew however that he was getting more and more worried about her. Granted at that time her step was still steady as ever as long as she had her two canes to walk around with. But she had taken a couple of short falls that had scared the life out of him almost as badly as her accidents in her earlier years had done to him. So they came to the agreement that she would live with him on the first floor of his home while he would still have the master bedroom upstairs.

Times had changed, and of all their friends; Nanaki, Vincent, and Maiya were the only ones still alive. The others having lived hard, violent lives found their peace eventually either in combat protecting the peace they'd obtained, or in bed, having retired from the harder life of the WRO military. Nanaki was only part time active duty with the WRO now, more as a consultant now than a member of the military, while Vincent did a little of everything as needed. However this last year and a half his time spent actively participating in WRO activities had been cut down to almost nil as he had made it abundantly clear that he was needed to take care of Maiya. Those that didn't know who Maiya was in the WRO elite's life were quickly informed by the older members who had time and experience with the pair and quickly let him have the time needed to care for the woman.

Having been released from the hospital she was remanded to hospice care save for when she was in critical need of hospital oversight. Once a day a nurse would stop by the house to help Vincent take care of Maiya's daily care needs. Bathing, his long time friend was something he was not able to accustom himself to doing as they had always had a boundary of privacy. Though that boundary was beyond broken now with her care needs in his hands now, but he was still uncomfortable with covering all of her care needs. So he had a nurse come in to help him with certain tasks.

Being that he lived in the same house as Maiya, he could never get away from his caregiver duties. This was something that stressed him terribly as there would be days where Maiya's dementia driven actions drove him to distraction. Other days she would be so quiet he would be checking on her often to ensure that nothing had happened to her in the time he was out of the room. There were days when the visiting nurse would take one look at Vincent and point imperiously out the front door, telling him to get the hell out for a few hours. All of the nursing staff assigned to Maiya's case at the Hospice center knew that Vincent was driving himself into the ground looking after the woman alone. It was cases like this that they took their orders and expanded on them, caring for the caregivers as well giving them a few hours to a full day away from the home each week.

It was one of those outings that he got a call from the visiting nurse. "Maiya needs to be hospitalized. Please meet her there." Words he didn't want to hear, yet gave him some measure of hope at the same time that now was not her time. After all, Hospice Care did not hospitalize the dying, only the ill. This did not prevent him from leaving his meal unfinished and racing across town to the hospital that had her standing orders and his information on record.

When he got to the hospital he was informed that he'd have to wait for any information, but the initial diagnosis was that Maiya had fallen in the bathroom due to a stroke. This caused no small amount of fear in Vincent as he had seen others who had been victimized by their own minds, he could only hope that Maiya's case was not as severe as they were making it sound.

As he literally ran into the doctor, his reflexes kicked in to prevent them from both spilling onto the floor. One foot stepping back to re-balance himself his hand snapped out to steady the medical professional. Recognizing the man as Maiya's in house doctor he asked. "Maiya, where is she?"

The doctor was well aware of Vincent's habits by now in relation to the woman he had just asked about. He could tell Vincent everything now and irritate the man, or tell him where Maiya was being kept and his own location for when he was ready to ask questions. Usually there was an overlap of the two. The questions were usually asked as Vincent was looking over his friend and her chart. Not much could be done about that. No matter how private a patient's chart was supposed to be, the man would always find a way to look at it. There were always questions after that, always.

"Maiya isn't out of testing yet, however she has been assigned a room for the foreseeable future. Walk with me and I'll get you permission to wait there for her." As the two of them waited in the room for Maiya to be returned from the multiple testings, the doctor was continually updated as to the condition of the patient. Reading the information before handing it over to the woman's care giver he made sure that there were no further questions before he left the room to bring Maiya back for rest and the beginning of whatever recovery she would make.

Twelve days later found Maiya walking out of the hospital as well as she had ever been able to. Vincent had been pleased with her recovery and he had surprised some of the younger doctors with his knowledge not only of medicine, but of his friend, and how to get her to push herself harder in her physical and occupational therapy.

All of this and more had happened not but a few months ago and spanned back through the last two years. Looking up at the doorway he saw that the Hospice nurse as well as Nanaki had made it though the older friend looked like he had traveled a while to get to the house. Gesturing them in he quickly gave then nurse a rundown of the symptoms he had run across that afternoon since lunch and could only close his eyes with a clenched jaw as she agreed with his diagnosis that Maiya would not outlast the afternoon.

Nanaki could only agree with both of them as his other senses, heightened from use and from who he was only told him that the woman was dying. What surprised him however was that Vincent had his glove off and while he spoke with them from the far side of the bed had not removed his fingers from the older woman's wrist. Those who did not know the older specialist, would not have noticed the occasional glance up at the clock on the wall as the second hand swept around the minutes, or the minute tightening of fingers as the woman's heart faltered before picking back up in pace again. The only thing that Nanaki could deduce from all of this was that Vincent wasn't ready to let go just yet, even though he had been prepared over the last couple of years for the woman to pass on at any time.

Stepping up to the bed and ignoring the look he received from the nurse, he looked across the bed to his oldest friend. "You need to let her go Vincent. She's lived a long life, most likely much longer than her life would have been had she never met you and become your friend."

As Vincent looked up, his eyes, red from grief, and pain locked onto the lighter brown eyes that seemed to convey sympathy, and understanding without the pity that the elder had despised for so long. Seconds swung around on the clock and the nurse had left the room to take care of other elements of her job on a call like this. The two left in the room shared a moment where it was understood that once Maiya died, a part of Vincent would die as well. His voice was quiet however even as he spoke, his clawed hand gently brushing the hair out of her eyes, "She told me once, that once she met me, she had few regrets in her life."

Nanaki was well able to read the conversation for what it was and queued his former partner on, "But?"

"She told me once, and only once that she never regretted becoming my friend, only that she wasn't able to be more." Vincent's eyes tracked over the dying face of his friend; regrets, sorrows, and even pain flashing through his eyes as he remembered that conversation those months after she had gotten out of the hospital. "I never told her that she had always been more than a friend to me. She was everything to me at times. When I had missions where I nearly died, she never knew of them, I never wanted her to worry about me at the level I did about her, especially after the hunt when she had been attacked by a local gang. But she worried anyway, and it was thoughts of her that got me back to the WRO headquarters on those missions that I came in brutalized, but the opponent had been much worse."

Nanaki was surprised at the 'confessions' he was hearing from Vincent, but could see that the man needed to get them said. "I'm sure she knows that she was important to you, as a friend and whatever more you had."

The nurse has just come back into the room as the sun was slanting in from the North West, washing everything in pale light. Nanaki knew however that something was going on when Vincent's fingers once again gripped at Maiya's wrist and instead of relaxing as they found the pulse again, or waited to start, he gripped again, in a slightly different angle. Glancing up at the clock something seemed to leave the man as he looked up at the Nurse, "Please, double check me, I think Maiya's gone."

Nanaki blinked as the nurse stepped up to the bed, checking the pulse points and listening with the stethoscope for what seemed like forever before she closed her eyes in a short benediction and then glanced at the clock. "Time of death, 4:34PM." Looking over at the two friends that had stayed in the room for the afternoon she placed a hand on Vincent's "I'm sorry. I know she was important to you, but it was her time."

Had the shuddering sigh not left him, Vincent was certain that his was all one of his many nightmares come true. Not caring who saw him, he stared at the face of his friend now gone, twin tears of pain and loss tracking their way down his cheeks as he neglected to wipe them away while he watched as the nurse prepared her to be moved to the crematorium where she had specified she had wanted to be cremated at before burial.

Nanaki watched in silence as all of this happened, knowing that there would be no words he could say that could ease the pain of his friend's heart break. Instead he quietly stepped around the bed and sat next to Vincent, watching over his friend, and making sure that the newly dead was treated with all the deference and respect one of their friends deserved. Vincent would need watching, and if the man disappeared again he knew that there would be no stopping it, or finding Vincent. While Nanaki was starting to feel his age finally, he knew that Vincent still had a long time ahead of him, and if he chose to spend some of that time out of the view of the world, in mourning for all of the friends he had lost over the last decade or so, then that was up to him. It would be a great loss to the world to lose such bright spirits, but Nanaki knew that there were only so many hurts a man could take before retreating to nurse them.

After the funeral had ended and the will had been taken care of, another will had been delivered to Nanaki's address. This one not so much a last will, but more of a line of instructions for him and his children. Vincent had indeed disappeared, the sorrows weighing on the man's heart finally pulling him back into the depression he had worked so hard to escape from so many years before. To escape them, he once again went into a hidden hibernation in a location not even Nanaki had been told of. Instead the Will had delineated several instructions on the care and upkeep of several graves as well as several buildings. This charge, being one that he knew his family would not be able to escape, he read it out loud to his mate and children, letting them know in no uncertain terms that they were now the new guardians of these places, that their upkeep would be upheld, and should Vincent return someday to the rest of the world, they would also be historians so that he would be able to learn what had happened in the time he dreamed.

They all hoped that someday, they would see him again, but until that day a small grave site with several markers were kept up, the most elaborate being one that did not belong to a fighter in the group, but instead to one that taught them all a little bit of life. 


End file.
